A Journey's End
by TinyAuGoddess
Summary: As a wedding and coronation approach, the plans of the girls futures are set into place. Filled with the usual bumps and burns along the way, but sudden surprise prove to the girls that they are never safe within the O.Z. This is a sequel story.
1. Prologue

1O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?

O, stay and here, your true love's coming.

That can sing both high and low:

Trip no further, pretty sweeting

Journey's end in lovers meeting.

Every wise man's song doth know.

William Shakespeare

Cain paced back and forth in front of the window. The rug that lay on the ground now looked worn and tired from Cain's persistent steps throughout the long months DG had been gone. Glitch sat on a stool a few paces down from the man, his hands neatly folded in his lap.

"They should be here by now," Cain muttered to no one in particular. His arms firmly crossed over his large frame, securely stating his frustration. "What time is it?" He asked his audience. Raw shrugged and Glitch looked around for a clock. When no clock could be found, Glitch simply made up a few numbers.

"Half past 5?" He attempted. He held his breath, hoping Cain wouldn't catch on to the lie. Cain simply ignored Glitch, as if the question had been a rhetorical one, as opposed to an actual one. Glitch shrugged and looked over at Raw. Raw looked over at his friend, and then motioned towards Cain.

"Cain worried about DG. DG been gone a long time." Raw said solemnly. Both he and Glitch had noticed Cain's moody behavior ever since DG and Azkadillia left months ago. Cain practically begged the king to allow him the chance to guide the girls on their adventure. However, Ahamo had other plans for his head of security. With an up coming wedding and coronation fastly approaching, Cain was needed in the palace to help with security measures. The land was still unsteady and either event was sure to create problems all around. Being the 'work first, family second' man, Cain didn't object to his new job and sadly watched as DG literally rode off into the sunset. Now, standing in front of the window, Cain promised himself that would be the last time work ever got in the way of his personal life.

"Yes DG has been gone a very long time Raw, but is that any reason to snap at innocent people?" Glitch's voice interrupted Cain's thoughts. Glitch looked up at Cain as he turned around to face to two friends. Glitch swallowed and twiddled his thumbs. "Not that we don't like you all broody and moody," Glitch began. He chose his words very carefully, picking what little of his brain he had left. "In fact it's been quite normal?"

Cain rolled his eyes and turned back to the window, his jaw tensed up as he clinched it together. Glitch knew this was when he was supposed to just shut up and silently support Cain . . . from afar. Out of the corner of his eye Glitch could see Raw slowly stand and walk over towards the tall man.

"What—stop – don't," Glitch whispered, grasping for his friend. Raw slipped out of his grasp and Glitch held his breath as Raw walked forward.

"Cain no need to worry. DG in safe hands." He patted the man on his shoulder. Cain looked over at him, relieved for a change. He had sent the girls out with his best men. If anything, the men would be safe with Azkadillia and DG watching over them. Cain laughed to himself. Raw could see the change in the man's attitude.

"Thank you Raw," Cain said, suddenly very calm. Raw nodded and backed away towards the stool he was sitting on. Glitch just looked at his friend, his jaw dropped.

"How do you do that?" Glitch whispered. Raw shrugged. Cain looked up and out onto the drive as he heard cars on the gravel driveway. Glitch heard the same as well and shot up out of his seat.

"DG'S BACK!" He yelled. He ran towards the door and into the hallway. Glitch bounded down the stairs, taking two stairs at a time. He couldn't even try to hold back his excitement as his friend arrived back at the castle. He'd missed both girls incredibly. Cain was quickly at his feet, he himself unable to hold back his excitement. The two men stood in the foyer, waiting for the princesses to come in the house.

"It will be good to have the girls back, right Cain?" Glitch asked. Cain smiled and clamped a hand on Glitch's shoulder.

"You have no idea," Cain muttered. Glitch smiled happily, Cain was back!

"I guess we should brace for another adventure." Glitch laughed. Cain nodded as the solid wooden doors opened.

"I'm already with you on that."

_Thank you for reading, I'll try to post another chapter soon!! Please don't forget to leave feedback!! _


	2. Chapter 1

1Cain watched as DG carefully unpacked her luggage. Never one to put her burdens on anyone, DG insisted she unpack herself. She shooed her maids away with a manner that Cain seemed to love. He sat in a chair across from her bed and watched her intently. She seemed to have grown since he saw her last. She looked like she'd taken the O.Z by storm, charting her course across the entire kingdom. Even her appearance seemed more lady-like, more grown up. Her black hair was pulled back into a loose bun and her normal laid back wardrobe was replaced by a set of tighter jeans and a short dress jacket. She seemed more relaxed and sure of herself and Cain had to admit that the change looked good on her. DG caught him looking at her out of the corner of her eye and turned to meet his glance.

"What?" She asked, turning her entire body to face him. Cain shook his head and said nothing, enjoying this moment. This was what he'd been waiting for the entire time she'd been gone, the chance to see her again, the reunion. DG sat a top down and walked over, her heeled boots clicking on the hard floor. She would be happy to get out of these clothes and into comfortable clothing. She watched as Cain looked her up and down as she stood before her.

"I know you hate when people change." She said as she took off the jacket she wore, revealing a silk cami. "This is what happens when you let Az dress you for months. Cain shook his head and sat up, suddenly feeling very happy.

"I'm into change." He coughed and sat up against the back of the chair. DG smiled quickly at him then frowned playfully.

"Are you saying I look better now than before?" She asked. Cain stood up, inches away from DG. He shook his head. "Are you saying I look worse?" Cain shook his head again. DG cocked her head. "What exactly are you saying?" Cain ran his hands around her back, feeling the silky material run across his hands.

"I'd love you if you were in a bag and nothing else. I'm charming that way." Cain said. DG could feel his hands warm on her back and took a step closer, completely filling in whatever gaps were between them. DG felt Cain's hands travel to her waist, slipping beneath the fabric. She moaned as she felt them on her bare skin. His rough fingers brushed against her soft skin, leaving goose trails against her flesh. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. His hands traveled higher and higher, visiting places one would only imagine on a princess.

"You sir, are far from a charming prince." DG laughed.

"Well good thing I'm not a prince."

"Lucky me," DG muttered under his lips. The two crashed together, groping and feeling around. The long months that past in her absence did not make Cain's heart grow fonder. IF anything it made the beast inside him grow more irritated. This was the moment he'd been waiting for since he said good bye to her all those months before. He moved his hands down her back and to the hem of her shirt, raising it slowly. He could feel her heat radiating from beneath and started to back her slowly towards the bed, kicking a few boxes and clothes out of his way. DG worked her hands down his front, reaching for something a young princess need not grasp for. As she reached for the buckle to his pants a sound startled her.

"OH!" A voice exclaimed. DG groaned against Cain's mouth and pushed him away. She turned to see Glitch standing in the doorway, a hand tightly covering his eyes. Cain reluctantly removed his hands from beneath DG's shirt and glared over at Glitch.

"Yes Glitch?" Cain tapped his foot impatiently.

"Just wanted to tell you that dinner is in 10 minutes and that your mother does not want you to be late." He slowly removed his hand and let out a sigh. The three stood awkwardly for a moment before Cain raised his tone.

"Anything else?" He asked. Glitch shook his head, not getting the hint. "Are you sure?" Glitch nodded his head. Cain rubbed his face. "You can go Glitch."

"Ah, ok. I will see you both later." Glitch spun around and left the room. DG laughed and buried her head in Cain's chest.

"That was awful!" She murmured. Cain nodded. "We either need better locks or a retreat home on the other side of the kingdom."

Cain groaned into her neck. Leave it to Glitch to interrupt at the perfect time.

"Can't we do a quickie?" DG asked, her eyes a glow as her hands traveled down to Cain's belt. Cain chuckled and pulled her hands away reluctantly.

"I may be good, but I'm not that good sweetheart." He roughly whispered into her ear. He heard a soft sign as he kissed her earlobe and pulled away. "Have fun at dinner." DG frowned.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked. Cain shook his head as he buckled his pants.

"I don't want to overstep boundaries. This is a family dinner, not a family and hired help dinner." He looked around for anything he was missing. DG shook her head.

"That's stupid. You're practically family now."

"Practically. I'm not family yet." Cain said sternly. DG sighed, knowing there was no since in arguing with the man. Cain knew his place in the world and he based his entire life on making sure he lived by this code, this set of rules that were in place for a reason. DG laughed to herself. It seems that nothing else but rules existed in the kingdom. She wondered just how many rules existed. She reached for her jacket on the bed, slipping it on slowly. Cain looked over at her and frowned. "I'm just glad you're back and under the same roof as me." He walked over and gave her a long kiss, making it impossible for DG to leave willingly.

"Are you sure you can't manage something quick?" DG asked, pressing her forehead to his. She felt his head move side to side, causing her head to move along with his. She sighed and pulled away. "Fine. I'm leaving."

"Have fun!" Cain called out towards her. DG waved over her shoulder than made a gesture with her finger that would have made her mother blush.

"So now that everyone is back under the same roof, I think it's time we discuss some house rules." The Queen took a small bite of her food. The family was sitting at a large wooden table, separated by large dishes of food. DG looked up and across towards her sister, Azkadillia looking just as surprised.

"House rules?" DG sat up in her chair. "What am I suddenly 5?"

"No. Engaged." Her mother said simply. DG let out a sharp breath. She looked at her father for help, but he simply nodded, agreeing with DG's mother.

"What kinds of rules? And do they apply to those who aren't engaged?" Azkadellia asked. If they had been closer DG would have kicked her sister's leg.

"Az!" She whispered harshly. Azkadellia shrugged and tried to smile at her sister. There seemed to be no sense in her life being ruined if no need be.

"Rules are to be shared by both of you." Their father said sternly. He looked from daughter to daughter. "Rule number 1, no men in bedrooms at night." He looked carefully at DG. He'd noticed how flushed his daughter was when she came into the dining room. He knew what went on behind her closed doors with Cain. "Everyone has an assigned room and they should sleep there."

"What if they are just doing their job and keeping a close eye on me?" DG asked innocently. Azkadellia snorted from across the table. DG glared over at her. "What other rules are there?"

"Curfew will be enforced." Their mother said from her plate. "With the approaching events, it's good to keep an early entry time. No wondering the grounds alone, chaperone at all times. I don't want anything to happen to you two. Believe it or not, the O.Z still suffers threats and I don't need you two getting in trouble." She then took another dainty size bite of food.

"You two have strict schedules to follow. DG you have wedding planning to accomplish and Azkadellia, you have Queen lessons." She watched as her daughter's faces fell. Clearly this is not what they were expecting. "It's for your own good. We're just looking out for your well being."

"By trapping us in the palace? I should have stayed in Kansas!" DG declared. Her mother pulled back like she'd been slapped.

"You do not mean that my sweet DG." Her mother said softly. DG pushed her plate away and threw her napkin on top of the plate.

"Yes, I mean that." She said. She pushed her chair back and stood. She looked from her father to her mother and then to her sister.

"We're not done talking DG. Now sit down and eat you food." Her father pointed to her plate. "Really DG, I thought you'd be more grown up about this. We're just looking out for what's best."

"Really DG." Her mother insisted. DG looked down at her plate.

"I'm not hungry anymore." She let out a sigh. "I'll go along with these 'rules' I guess." She looked over at her sister. Azkadellia could only mouth an 'I'm sorry'. "Can we start them tomorrow? You know, give me time to adjust to life back in the palace?" DG asked. Her parents looked at each other, quietly exchanging glances. Her mother eventually turned back to her daughter and nodded.

"Fine. But only because you've been gone so long." She sighed. DG nodded and turned to leave. DG ran out of the dining room and out into the hallway. She wanted to get as far away as she could from them. She ran up the back stair case and down the hall towards the princess wing. She saw a figure walking towards her, but in her anger and fury she kept going.

"How did dinner go?" Cain asked, softly grabbing DG's arm as she rushed past. DG spun around and eyed the man. "I'm guessing bad." He softened his tone, losing the humor that once resonated.

"If that's the word you want to choose." DG sighed, she didn't want to go into details quiet yet. However, she soon wouldn't have a choice.

"Cain did you hear how DG flipped out at the dinner-" Glitch stopped when he saw DG in Cain's arms. "I guess you did." Glitch approached the two. DG looked up and over at Glitch, not happy with the intruder.

"Really, it isn't as bad as it seems. When she was your age, your mother had strict rules to follow. Her rules were far worse than yours." Glitch watched as DG's face turned. She slowly looked up at Cain, cringing at his expression.

"Rules?" He asked slowly. "Since when do you follow rules?" Glitch backed away slowly, sensing he'd open something he shouldn't have. DG swallowed.

"Yeah, about that. You have to sleep in your room from now on." She unwrapped herself from Cain's arms and looked up at him. "Mother and father's rules." DG pouted her lips. Cain sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was too old to follow house rules, but that's what he gets for falling in love with a young princess.

"For how long?" He asked. DG shrugged.

"I imagine until we're married?" DG suggested. She laughed, hearing how absurd it sounded. Cain's face wasn't amused and DG frowned. "Just think of it as an adventure. They said you couldn't be in my room at night. Think of all the places we can get into trouble." DG raised an eyebrow and winked at Cain.

"You mean sneak around?" Cain asked. DG swatted the air.

"You say sneak around, I say a new adventure." DG tried to lighten the situation. She grabbed Cain's hands in her own and squeezed supportively. "I hate this as much as you do, but I don't think they are going to let up. I mean we are talking about a queen." DG could hear Cain groan and then take in a large breath, letting it out gruffly. DG smiled slyly.

"What?" Cain asked. He watched as DG took a step towards him and he felt her hands on his hips, traveling south for the winter. Cain let out a groan without even thinking. His eyes darted around the empty hall, happy Glitch took the hint to scram long ago. He looked back at DG, his eyes wide. "What-?"

"I convinced them to start the rules tomorrow." She winked. Cain straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

"How about that for diplomacy. Are they sure they are letting the right princess take the throne?" Cain teased. DG laughed and swatted his arm. Cain reached down and picked her up, as if she weighed nothing.

"Just remember, I'm a lady." DG said in a small voice. Cain laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkled up. DG looked at him seriously. "You should be a gentleman."

"Well forgive me my lady," Cain said in a mocking tone. "But I only have one night to ravage you before rules come into effect so, I may not abide by the chivalry codes set forth by your kind." DG nodded and buried her face his neck, resisting the urge to take him there in the hallway. As he carried her to her bedroom Cain couldn't believe he'd let months past since he'd seen her last. However, tonight he would make up for every second lost.

_Thank you for reading!! Please don't forget to leave feedback!_


	3. Chapter 2

1DG stood in front of the heavy oak doors. The weight of the doors equaled that of the expectations everyone had for her. She swallowed and took a step closer towards the dark doors. She'd fought off long coats, come face to face with killer papays and survived traveling storms. She was only in her 20s and she was already a legend in the kingdom. However, nothing could prepare her for what was behind that door. She could hardly remember most of her childhood, a piece or two would manage to break through every once in a while, but it was still pretty bleak. Despite all that she'd forgotten, the man behind that door was very vivid to her. The queen had called on him for every event, ball, or tea ever held at the palace. She could remember being fitted for her dresses in tears because of the things that man had said to her. Well over six feet tall, John was by far the scariest man she'd ever met.

"You're going to have to go in eventually." A voice said from a near by chair. DG slowly turned and a smile spread across her face.

"Tutor!" She said happily. She walked over and embraced the man as he stood up. He hugged her back tightly and then pulled away. She hadn't seen him for months and it was good to see a familiar, happy face. "What are you doing here? Helping the wedding brigade?"

"No, sadly I am here to help advice your sister on her crisis. But I do hear that congratulations are in order. I always knew you two would be together." Her tutor eyed the girl. DG looked down at her shoes, her cheeks blushing. "Speaking of which, where is that man? I would hope he was helping with this momentous occasion."

"Hardly. My father has him all over the palace preparing for the event in his own way. I guess I'm stuck choosing cake and invitations myself. "

"Well, I'm almost positive you'll pull it off." He gave her an encouraging smile. DG smiled back and nodded. "I'm off to go educate your sister." He picked up his bag. "Good luck with John." He whispered. DG frowned, wishing she could sit in with Azkadellia instead of having to go plan for the wedding. She sadly watched as Tutor walked away, down the hall towards Azkadellia's room. She took a deep breath and opened the door with a tug on the knob. When the door opened a dozen pair of eyes turned to look at her.

"I'm in hell." She said simply to herself.

"Tutor!" Azkdellia whined. Her tutor sat the book down for the millionth time and rubbed his sore head. This would be harder than he thought.

"Yes Azkadellia?" He moaned.

"What does this," She held up a book entitled: The History of the Outer Zone, "have to do with me becoming a queen?" She threw the book back down and tapped her fingers on the table.

"For the hundredth time, if you don't know the history of your own people, how are you going to rule them?" He asked. Azkadellia sat up in her chair.

"I know the history!! I am the people." Azkadellia pointed herself. "I don't have to learn it. Most of it I caused." She crossed her arms, eyeing her tutor carefully.

"Yes, I know. But there are other things besides history that you have to learn. You need to learn about protocol, and Etiquette, and how to deal with these people you so viciously attacked." Azkadellia glared at her tutor, he'd been hanging out with DG. That biting sarcasm just didn't come out of nowhere. She sighed and waved her hands in the air.

"Fine, fine, I'll cooperate." Her tutor let out a sigh and nodded.

"Thank you. I think we'll call it a day, and I'll give you your homework assignment." Azkadellia sat very still on her chair. Homework assignment? Did she hear him correctly? "One of your most important achievements as a queen is to produce an heir to run the kingdom after your death."

"What a pleasant statement. You should write for the birthday herald." Tutor ignored her remark and continued, his eyes rolling up to look at the ceiling.

"Anyway, you must find someone to marry and produce an heir. You're not going to do so when you do not even leave the palace."

"That nonsense," Azkadellia waved at the air. "I left months ago and traveled to Kansas and then when I got back I went on a trip with Deeg." She nodded her head. "So there you go." She moved to get up, but Tutor stopped her.

"I'm serious. You're homework is to find a guy and date him. Or court him. Which ever word you want to choose." He looked at Azkadellia carefully. "This is a good thing." He picked up his books and made his way towards the door. Azkadellia still sat in the chair, stunned. "I'll see you tomorrow." He gave one look towards the princess, and then quietly left the room.

Later that afternoon DG sat in a window seat. Curled up behind the curtains, it was the perfect hiding place for the young princess. She passed the time until she had to meet Cain, reading a large novel. She could hear the pitter patter of feet as they traveled by, servants keeping the house in pristine order. She was about to step out and get ready, but then a couple voices stopped her.

"Can you believe her?" A young servant asked.

"I know!" A second voice responded. "She has her pick of the entire kingdom and beyond for the right husband and she picks one of the best candidates for a husband." DG smiled to herself. So Cain really was a catch. He was her catch. Before she could enjoy the moment, the other girl spoke up.

"Yes, that bitch. She is a princess for crying out loud. She can get any guy and she gets everything she wants. I don't care that she saved the kingdom, some things should just be left alone." DG's face fell. They hated her. She thought all along that her maids liked her but all this time she'd been hated. She quietly sat her book down and pulled her knees closer to her chest.

"I'll clean up after her and make her bed, but I will not have anything to do with this wedding business. I draw the line." The other woman said. DG could hear her shift the basket she was holding to her other hip. DG felt awful all of a sudden. She really was taking away something good for someone else. She was sure she could find another perfect suitor, a prince or a knight. She listened as they walked away, still going on about the spoiled brat that was herself. She pushed her legs out from behind the curtain and forced herself to stand up, her legs still pretty wobbly. With a heavy heart, she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. Maybe some sugar would help.

DG was standing in the kitchen eating a cookie when she heard foot steps from behind. She'd been waiting all day to hear those footsteps, but now she dreaded the sound. She was about to turn around when she felt his hands on her hips and his body pressed up against her back. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips kiss her bare neck gently, the goose bumps that went up and down her arms chased away any thoughts about a confrontation.

"What is it that makes you always smell so good?" He whispered. DG smiled to herself. "It really is maddening." She could feel Cain's breath on her skin and if it weren't for the fact that her parents would walk in at any moment, she would have thrown him on the island and had her way. She lightly sighed as he felt his fingers inch up under her shirt.

"You really aren't one for rules are you?" DG laughed.

"Who said this is breaking the rules? Unless you sleep in the kitchen, there is nothing wrong with this." Cain said matter of factly.

"Oh come on, you're in a kitchen! People eat in there!" A voice called into the kitchen. Cain groaned into DG's hair, but stayed where he was staying, closely guarding DG.

"Yes Az?" DG yelled back. Azkadellia walked into the kitchen and then started pacing in front of the couple. "Problems?"

"I have to go on a date." Azkadellia said simply. She glared up at Cain when she heard him snort. DG bit her bottom lip and lifted a hand above her head, pushing Cain's face away. Cain pulled his head back but still remained grounded.

"Why a date?" DG asked. Azkadellia sighed.

"Tutor thinks that the main reason for being a queen is getting married and then knocked up." She twirled her fingers up in the air in a whoop dee doo manner. DG frowned.

"Well, he does have a point." DG shrugged. She picked up a cookie and started breaking it apart in her fingers. She looked up at her sister. "I mean unless there is some spell that allows you have an heir without doing the . . . you know. . . then I. . ." DG started to mutter and became nervous. She looked up at the person behind her.

"Cain! Your thoughts on the subject would be great," DG said, her eyes wide and encouraging as she read Cain's face. Cain opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He wasn't about to proceed without caution. He opened it again and started.

"What harm could it really do?" He asked. "Go on a date, find some poor guy, have a million babies with him." Azkadellia's mouth dropped and DG closed her eyes. Really, when he didn't want to be involved, he really didn't want to be involved.

"Ok, you're free to go. I'll find you later." DG said quickly, pushing Cain off her and then back into the kitchen.

"Thank you." Cain whispered and walked out. DG turned back to her sister and offered her a cookie in a peace offering. Azkadellia just stared at her sister.

"Listen Az, I really think-"

"Oh cookies!" A voice interrupted. Both girls groaned, there really was no privacy in the palace. Glitch walked over to the plate and picked up a cookie, Raw closely behind him. Glitch took a bite and chomped loudly looking from one sister to the other.

"Problems?" He asked, mouth full of cookie. Azkadellia was shaking her head when DG opened her mouth.

"Az has to find a date to spawn future kings or queens." She smiled, the more she said it, the more insane is sounded. Azkadellia threw her hands in the air and turned to leave.

"THANKS!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"I think that's a great idea." Glitch chomped. Azkadellia froze, DG looked over at Glitch.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Azkadellia asked. DG nodded. "What do you mean by that Glitch?" She turned around slowly and walked back towards the island. Glitch looked like a little chipmunk, his cheeks fully puffed out, filled with cookie. He swallowed the cookies and shrugged.

"Well, you complained you couldn't get out and no one would like you. Go on a date, get out of the palace. You may actually have fun." He looked at DG. She nodded in encouragement and her eyes told him to go on.

"Don't think about babies or duty, just have fun. You know what that is, don't you?" He asked. Azkadellia's face frowned; she would have slapped him if he hadn't had a point. Glitch picked up a couple cookies, and then turned to leave the kitchen. He was totally oblivious that he had just entered a serious conversation. Raw grabbed a few as well and gave a look of support towards Azkadellia. She smiled back at him and watched the two of them leave. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She'd figure it out eventually. Her eyes shot open suddenly and she looked over at DG.

"Oh I forgot to ask you about your plans. How's John?" Azkadellia asked, reaching for a cookie.

"Even worse than when we were kids. I thought I was going to have a heart attack." She closed her eyes and shook her head. She drummed her fingers on the table, considering if she should tell her sister about what she heard. "Az," She began. Azkadellia looked over at her sister. DG bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

"Nothing." DG backed down. "So who are you going to ask first?" DG raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Oh, how about Dudley!" DG screamed, her face filling with happiness. Azkadellia threw a cookie at her sister.

"No input from you, oh engaged one. As far as I'm concerned you have no say in which I choose. You already have the hunk." Both girls sat across from each other at the island, laughing and gossiping about boys and dates. Both girls would soon be venturing off down different paths and it would be moments like these that would keep the girls from going crazy.

_Thanks for reading this chapter!! Please don't forget to leave feedback!_


	4. Chapter 3

"Explain to me again why you don't use Mother's seamstresses to make you a gown." Azkadellia asked. She sat on a settee surrounded by discarded dresses of all shapes and sizes. They'd been at Bluebird's Wedding Décor Shoppe for hours and DG was no closer to finding her perfect dress than Glitch was to finding his brain.

"I told you before. I don't want some over the top, extravagant wedding dress." DG's voice was muffled through both the door of the fitting room and the ruffle of the dress as it went over her head.

"Yes, that would be tragic." Azkadellia muttered.

"Not to mention, I want the chance to go out and shop for my dress. It's a tradition all brides have back in Kansas and I don't want to miss out just because I'm a princess." She yanked the fabric over her head and stood in awe at what she saw.

"Oh my," She said loudly. Azkadellia's magazine went flying and she hopped out of her seat.

"Well, now you have to come out and show me." She laughed and jumped up and down.

"Please, don't make me." DG sighed. Azkadellia looked around; the shop was pretty empty except for a few stragglers.

"If you don't come out, I'm yanking you out." Azkadellia whispered harshly. DG let out a deep sigh and pushed open the fitting room door. At first sight Azkadellia let out a howling laugh and pointed at her sister. "You look like a cream puff." Dg frowned and stepped forward, looking for the three way mirror. She stepped up on the platform and shook her head. It was even worse out here in the light.

The white monster had layers and layers of white tulle, puffing the dress up to an abnormal size. DG's tiny head poked out from the neck line and she strained it just to see over the ruffles and bows. Why in the world had she allowed Azkadellia to talk her into trying this on?

"Get this off of me," DG grasped for air. The large dress was suffocating as it tightly grasped her neck and ribs. She still was laughing, along with Azkadellia, as she reached around back for the zipper. With one arm around her sore stomach, Azkadellia used the other to yank at the zipper until it slid down DG's back with a satisfying slip. DG pulled the heavy gown down and stepped out of it, letting the white cloud float away. Now standing on her pedestal, wearing nothing but an expensive set of lingerie, DG suddenly felt relieved.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, happy to get getting fresh air. She stood, placing her hands on her hips, looking down at her sister. Months ago she would have been slightly embarrassed to be standing half naked in front of her sister, but now it was normal.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to be in Queen lessons all day?" DG asked. Azkadellia looked her sister up and down.

"That bra if fabulous Deeg. It gives you support everywhere." Azkadellia moved to touch a strap and DG slapped her hand away. "Ow!" She squealed. DG gave her sister a close look and Azkadellia took a step back. "Ok fine. They are awful DG. I'd rather be trapped again with the evil witch inside me than be trapped in a room with Toto." The few customers milling around the shop looked over at her suspiciously. She backtracked and shook her hands in the air.

"Figure of speech, I swear." Her eyes grew large as she looked back to her sister. "It's awful." She frowned at her sister. DG rolled her bright blue eyes and stood firm.

"I can't imagine it's that bad Az."

"Ok, Fine! It's just boring. I figure, because I have to learn the ways of the people, I should be out among them." She gestured to the small shop. "If Toto asks, I'm learning about traditional Outer Zone wedding customs. Which you are totally butchering with your own Kansas wedding traditions. . ." Azkadellia trailed off. DG smiled.

"I'm proud of you." DG said. Azkadellia looked up at her sister. It was odd to think she was the oldest. DG just seemed like the down to earth, older guidance one. Azkadellia lost out on her childhood and only seemed to now be making up for the loss. "Really, I am. It takes a strong person to go through what you are going through. I mean you get to deal with the people and they get to look up to you. What am I doing?" She turned to the mirror and looked at herself in her lingerie. "I'm planning a wedding. What good will that do for my people?" She asked her sister. As Azkadellia contemplated this question a voice called from behind.

"OH dear giddy, she's in her under garments!" Glitch covered his eyes and turned around to walk away, only to run into Cain's stern form. "Cain walk away! You can't see her in this before her wedding day." He whispered harshly, his hands still covering his eyes. Cain rolled his own eyes.

"Is that true?" He called across the store. Azkadellia called over her shoulder.

"That's just for the dress. You can't see the dress before." She turned back to her sister and nodded, glad something was seeping in. DG's face was bright red and she tried to cover up with the fallen gown.

"Woo hoo. DG look nice," Raw said from Cain's side. Cain's eyes grew wide and he turned to face his friend. Raw cleared his throat. "Raw wait outside." He pointed over his shoulder and quietly walked out. Cain turned back to DG, up on her pedestal. He'd seen her with less than what she was wearing now, but it still made something inside of him tick. If he didn't get out now, he couldn't be responsible for his actions in this public place.

"We're going to be outside. When you're ready, let us know." Cain called. DG looked at him from across the shop and smiled for support. She nodded and winked at her future husband and Cain knew his heart skipped a beat. He backed slowly out of the shop, never leaving his glance with DG and reluctantly let the door shut behind him. The three men stood on the cobblestone sidewalk looking out onto the busy street. Cain spotted a jewelry store a few shop windows down and decided to go in. He didn't have wedding bands yet and DG still didn't have an engagement ring. As he entered the bright store, Cain immediately thought it was a bad idea.

Cain looked at the various jewels in the cases. Some were extravagantly put together, others looked somewhat dull. What do you buy a princess? He couldn't afford what he thought a princess would want, but what he could afford he knew a princess would never even acknowledge. He groaned and let his eyes roll over the contents of the shelf one last time.

"You know, it doesn't matter what you get her." Glitch said softly. Cain turned to Glitch. Glitch nodded his head slowly. "DG loves you no matter what. She's not one for shiny things or outlandish displays of affection." He watched as Cain turned back to the display case, his eyes catching a deep blue sapphire. "Think smaller." Glitch whispered in Cain's ear. Cain swatted away Glitch, like a person swats away a fly. Cain looked at the price tag and knew he would have to work everyday, 24 hours a day, for many annuals to afford something that beautiful. He removed his hands from the glass and took a couple steps away from the counter and towards the door. He'd think of something, and soon he hoped.

Later that night DG sat on the counter, her legs crossed at the knees. She tapped her foot in the air, her bunny slipper bounced happily to a beat. DG smiled as she raised a spoonful of ice cream to her lips and sighed as the wonderful concoction filled her mouth. She was always a fan of ice cream. She watched as Cain washed and dried the dishes, a spare dishtowel slung over his naked shoulder. She looked down the front of herself, wearing only Cain's linen shirt, carefully buttoned one button. Her parents were off at a dinner with a dignitary and Azkadellia was off on her first date. She'd have to listen to that story all night. However, for now, all she cared about was the man standing a few paces away from her.

After a wonderful dinner, Cain whisked DG away, leaving all the traces of a romantic dinner behind. After an exhausting post dinner romp in DG's bedroom, she suddenly felt the need for some ice cream. She slipped on Cain's shirt and Cain slipped on his pants and the two traveled down the corridors towards the kitchen, hands and lips still finding each other. As DG scoured the freezer for anything, Cain started to clear off the dishes and clean up their mess. He fixed DG a bowl of chocolate ice cream and watched as she happily lifted herself up on to the counter, her ice cream clutched between her small hands.

DG slipped another spoonful of ice cream between her lips. "You know," she said, swallowing the mouthful, "if you keep this up and cook for me the way you do, I may never have a use for the palace chef." She watched as Cain turned around, laying the dishtowel on the edge of the sink. He walked over and parted DG's leg, standing in between dangerous charted territory. DG wrapped her legs around him as he reached for her ice cream.

"Keep it up and I'll be too tired to do anything." DG pulled the bowl out of his grasp. She could feel his hands, cool from the dishwater; slowly travel up her legs, from her knees northward. As they reached her thigh she let out a soft, almost undistinguishable sigh. It was soft enough that only Cain could hear. High pitched sounds were to dogs like DG's soft moans where to Cain. As his hands slipped beneath the soft linen hem line, he could feel her goose bumps as he placed them on her hips, pulling her just a little closer to him. DG closed her eyes and let go of everything, including the ice cream bowl. Cain reached over and picked up the discarded bowl and took a step back. DG's eyes flew open and she watched as Cain slurped down her dessert.

"Well, if that's what it takes for you to get ice cream, I'm in trouble." She crossed her arms with a huff and watched as Cain devourered her ice cream. She looked the man up and down. His muscular frame was that of someone built for a fight. After years of training at the Academy and then years as a Tin Man, Cain's muscular form did not look like that of a man his age. He was sculpted and toned, but she could see some parts of him giving into age. Cain was used to a rigorous work out schedule. Sometimes, as she walked past his room early in the morning or late at night, she could hear his grunt as he did endless pushups or sit ups.

She could make out various cuts and marks from fight's he'd gotten into, whether they were intentional or mistaken. She knew several of the various scars where from their own journey to save the O.Z, but the other's were a mystery. They were from a part of his past she may never know. She watched him finish the rest her ice cream and then set the bowel in the water filled sink. He turned back to her and frowned at her stern look.

"Rude, very rude." She shook her head. "I wasn't done with that." She pouted her lip and shook her head as Cain stepped closer to her. She put both of her outstretched palms on his chest, pushing him away. He reached up and bent her arms at the elbows, giving him extra space to move forward. Her arms slacked and she felt them slide down his chest as Cain advanced forward. His hands slid through DG's shirt, held only together with a single button. She gasped as his cold hands touched her bare stomach and then rest on her sides.

"I don't know what you want now," She said coyly. Cain leaned forward and placed his lips on her collar bone, kissing it slowly. He moved up her neck slowly. "You ate the rest of the ice cream," She struggled to get the words out, her mind suddenly cloudy as Cain's hands ventured to places she was powerless to protect when he was around.

"Oh my goodness!" A voice groaned. DG heard something slap the island and she opened her eyes, seeing her sister standing a few feet away. Azkadellia put her clutch back under her arm and she glared at her sister and her future brother in law. "The food we eat is prepared right there." She pointed to where her sister sat underwear less. Cain groaned as he pushed up off of DG. He cleared his throat and helped DG get presentable.

"So back from your date early?" DG asked, wiping her lips.

"Yeah we ended up in the infirmary," She muttered. DG's eyes grew twice their normal size. Azkadellia nodded. "Could we talk about it somewhere else? Like away from where we eat." She watched as her sister smiled and then she hopped off the counter, with Cain helping her. A towel filled the place where DG sat. Azkadellia looked from it to her sister.

"You don't think I would sit on the counter without some form or protection?" DG asked. Azkadellia huffed and left the room. DG turned back to Cain. "I'm going to deal with this." She stepped forward and gave Cain a kiss. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss. When DG pulled away her lips were starting to swell again. She smiled up at a Cain and reluctantly back away, feeling his arms unwrap. She gave him a wink as she sauntered out of the kitchen, in search of her sister. Cain turned back to the sink, his hands gripping the edge. He let out a frustrated growl and reached for a dish to clean.

"So emergency room, start now." DG said as she slammed her door shut with a hurried thud. Azkadellia's head popped up from the bed and she groaned. DG found some lost pieces from her outfit earlier and slipped on the underwear and jeans. She walked over and sat at the head of her bed, looking down on her sister.

"It was awful. We were in the car, on the way to the restaurant. We were talking and laughing and I really thought that this guy was great. Then we arrived. And that's when it happened."

"When what happened?" DG asked carefully. Azkadellia sat up slowly, keeping her eyes on her sister. She looked like a child who had done something wrong but didn't want to share. "Come on, let it out."

"So how was I supposed to know he'd come around to open my door? And how was I supposed to know he'd loose a cufflink and have to bend to pick it up?" DG closed her eyes tightly.

"You didn't?" She muttered. Azkadellia nodded.

"The door hit him square in the face, breaking his nose. The force caused him to fall back and hit his head on the curb, causing him to black out." DG's hands flew to cover her mouth as she tried not to laugh. A giggle escaped her lips and Azkadellia glared at her sister.

"I was so excited about the dinner that I was a little overzealous with the door." She hit her sister on the arm. "It isn't funny." DG looked up and nodded.

"Yes it is," DG laughed. Azkadellia wanted to hit her again, but she ended up laughing along with her. Tears streamed down DG's face, and Azadellia had to clutch her stomach for the second time that day.

"Who needs exercise when we have each other?" She laughed, laying back on the bed. DG shrugged and leaned back.

"It's ok, we'll find you another guy. Hopefully someone with hazard pay." DG laughed as she dodged Azkadellia's clutch. She let her laughs trickle down to soft giggles as she thought about her own love life.

"What's wrong DG?" Her sister asked somberly. DG looked over at here sister.

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"Please don't ask me for sex advice; I don't know anything about it." Azkadellia flopped back down on the bed. DG laughed and threw a pillow in her general direction.

"I mean about the wedding." She said softly. Azkadellia pushed herself up, resting her weight on her two elbows. She looked at her sister and knew, all jokes aside, that here sister really needed her. She sighed and sat up, giving her full attention. "Is this really what people in their 20's do? Plan weddings?" She asked.

"Well they certainly shouldn't become queens, but look how that's going for me." She looked carefully at her sister. "Oh Deeg. You're making a big decision, it's only right that you get a little nervous. What, with the wedding brigade and the plans, it's enough for anyone to get a little antsy. My advice, elope. You two go off, get married someplace small and live your lives away from this." She gestured to the palace walls. DG frowned and shook her head.

"I can't do that to mom and dad. I already ran off once, and it hurt them. I can't do it again." She sighed and looked down into her lap. She buttoned another button, suddenly very embarrassed around here sister. Azkadellia reached over and put her hand on her sisters.

"I know we've said it before, but you're marrying a great guy. A great guy that loves you, protects you, I imagine has great sex with you," She watched DG's face turn to alarm. "You can deny it all you want to little sis, but I know what he does to you. You run away from this, you back away in any way, shape or form and you'll regret it. I'll make sure of that." She let go of her sister's hands. DG looked up, knowing this wasn't the end of the discussion, but happy that she had some perspective.

_Thank you for reading this chapter! Please don't forget to leave feedback, good and bad!_


	5. Chapter 4

DG slept peacefully in her bed. Despite the fact that her parents weren't due until early that morning, she did not take any chances getting caught in Cain's bed . . . naked. She snuck back to her room shortly before midnight. After her talk with Azkadellia she went back to help Cain clean, even though he urged her not to. He looked her up and down as she helped dry the priceless china and valuable silver. He loved how laid back she looked in a pair of jeans and his shirt. He always said the sexiest thing a woman could wear was a piece of his clothing. Adora hated to wear anything of his, stating that a woman should never wear men's clothing. She said it was unlady like and the Queen would be horrified at the thought. Now he had the princess wearing his shirt. He couldn't get DG to stop wearing his clothes: a shirt here, a pair of boxers there, even his hat wasn't safe. After cleaning they made their way back up to Cain's room where they ended up laying in bed for a while, talking. When talking got boring they found other ways of entertaining each other. When Cain was fast asleep, DG wiggled out from under his arm and made her way back to her room. She fell asleep, exhausted, but entirely happy. She could have stayed in bed all morning, but that would not happen.

Azkadellia flew into DG's room, landing in the center of DG's bed with a flop. DG groaned and turned over on her stomach, shielding herself from the onslaught of Azkadellia. She loved her sister dearly, but sometimes it was just too much to take.

"Deeg wake up!" Azkadellia said, shaking her sister's sleeping body. DG groaned again and pulled her covers up over her head.

"Go away," She muffled into the pillow. Azkadellia huffed and tried again, this time shaking harder.

"Deeeeg, wake up." She pushed her sister, trying to get her to at least open one eye. DG groaned into the pillow and carefully opened an eye. Her sister sat a mere foot away, already dressed and wide awake. She looked like she'd been up for hours, already conquering the day. "You need to spend less time with Cain at night and more time working on your beauty sleep. You look like crap." Azkadellia admitted to her sister. DG swore under her breath as she opened the other eye. She threw the covers back and pushed herself up into a sitting position, knocking over Azkadellia.

"What is so important?" DG asked as a large yawn escaped her lips. Azkadellia thrust a cream colored packet into DG's unsuspecting face, just barely missing her nose.

"This," she said with force. DG picked up the packet and flipped through it nonchalantly. "Could you care any less?" Azkadellia asked.

"What is it?" DG said, turning back to the cover.

"Toto made it for me. It's a list of all the eligible men in the kingdom." She nodded as DG raised and eye brow. "Yeah, I know, tell me about it. I'm that pathetic I need a list." She grabbed the list from DG and flipped through it carefully. "Bartholomew, Edgar, Wilmur, Thaddeus, oh just bring on the fun." Azkadellia threw the list on the bed.

"Oh come on. Those are just names. You can't judge a person by a name Az." DG reached for the list. Her face fell. "Ok, well Wilmur is 95, and Edgar is 12." She looked up at her sister. "He's a very rich 12 year old." She shrugged. Azkadellia glared over at her sister and crossed her arms. DG flipped through the packet on last time, this time more carefully. "What exactly was Toto thinking? I wonder how long he's had this."

"It's awful. It's like a shopping catalogue for men." DG started to open her mouth but Azkadellia stopped her with a raised finger. "It's not the same thing. Choosing a man from a catalogue is not the same as picking out socks or a coat." She lowered her finger and watched her sister turn through the pages. DG nodded her head and threw the packet back to her sister.

"I think you should go with Wilhelm James." DG said as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. Azkadellia watched as her sister got out of bed and headed towards her bathroom. She picked up the packet and turned to the J's.

"Wilhelm James," She started to read, "Age 31, distant cousin to the Queen of Freland, brown hair, green eyes, plays polo and drinks scotch on the rocks." She paused and scratched her head. "Toto sucks, this information is useless. I don't care about what his favorite drink is." She called over her shoulder to her sister. "What use is this?" DG stuck her head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. She shrugged.

"Thought he sounded interesting," She mumbled as she avoided drooling on the carpet. Azkadellia watched as DG retreated to the bathroom and listened as the faucet ran. She patiently waited for DG to come back out and looked over Wilhelm's profile carefully. DG stood in the doorway watching her sister read the page, her face lost in thought. Azkadellia brought a finger to her lips and nervously bit her nail. This would be harder than she thought. DG cleared her throat and walked over towards her wardrobe, in search of something to wear. Azkadellia looked up and frowned.

"So Wilhelm? Really?" She asked. DG nodded as she slipped out of her pajamas. She grabbed a blue sweater and a pair of jeans. "What if he's weird or smelly?" DG laughed as she poured herself into her jeans.

"Welcome to the world of dating." She buttoned her jeans and reached for her sweater. She looked at Azkadellia's worried face. "Don't worry, you'll survive." She slipped the sweater over her head, her black hair sticking out in all directions. She started to reach for a brush when she heard a knock at the door. Not recognizing it as Cain's, DG's brow crossed as she walked to the door. Azkadellia looked up as DG opened the door and a worried Glitch shuffled into the room. "Yes?" DG asked. Glitch looked down at his hands as he wrung them and then muttered something.

"Your mother wants to see you both. In the drawing room." He scuffed a shoe on the carpet and looked sheepishly at both girls. Both knew that if Glitch was worried, they should be too. Glitch and their mother were quite close, going back to their childhoods. Since she'd lost her powers, their mother was soft spoken and pleasant, hardly the powerful woman she once was. If Glitch was worried, it meant something bad. DG swallowed and looked at her sister. Azkadellia picked up her list and wiggled off the bed as graceful as one could. They turned to Glitch and he gave a quick nod. DG grabbed the brush really fast and ran it through her hair in a brief manner. On her way out she glanced at the mirror, it would have to do. As they walked down the hall, DG felt a hand grasp her own. She squeezed it back and smiled up at Cain.

"Where are you off to so early?" He asked. DG could smell shaving cream and after shave. He smelled clean and fresh and she knew he'd been up for hours, carefully checking the palace for security threats.

"I have a meeting with my mother." She motioned over towards Glitch. "He seems more fidgety than normal, I'm kind of worried," she whispered. Cain gave her a reassuring nudge.

"You'll be fine. I have to go out and check the perimeters of the palace; I'll see you at lunch." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and let go of her hand. As they reached the doors of the drawing room he broke away. He was a big man and usually unafraid of very little, but he had an idea of what the queen wanted from the girls that morning and he did not want to be around. DG watched helplessly as her support walked briskly up the hall. He gave her a supportive wink as he turned the corner and then he was gone. DG took a breath and turned to her sister and her sister swallowed.

"This is where I leave you." Glitch mumbled as she backed away.

"But I-where-no," DG mumbled. She suddenly become Glitchified and could hardly grasp her words. Her friend waved slowly and walked away. Azkadellia pushed open the door, taking DG's hand in her own. The two braced for the worse as they walked into the large drawing room.

The drawing room was always a heavy room to enter as children. It was off limits during certain times of the day as their mother was always working on something and couldn't be distracted. The library was where the girls had their lessons, the drawing room was where the queen had hers. Looking out over the gardens, the room as was always filled with light and it seemed fair as to why the queen spent so many hours here. The girls were brought in once a day as children to see their mother and it always seemed like a grand occasion. They were dressed up and brought in like little china dolls, all done up for the appearance with the queen. It was the one time in their day that it was pointed out how important their mother was. Now, many years later, the girls still felt the dread of entering this sacred space of their mother's. She sat at a small wooden desk that DG knew cost more than her entire home in Kansas. The fragile writing desk looked like even the smallest bump would break it into a thousand pieces. She was staring at it when her mother broke her thoughts.

"I am ashamed of you two right now." Her usually soft spoken mother uttered. The girls lifted their eyes to their mother and grasped their hands tighter. Maybe the power of the light would transport them out of this bad dream.

"Why ever so mother?" Azkadellia asked innocently, throwing in a few batted eyelashes for good measure. The queen ignored the attempt and continued.

"I don't know what to do with you two!" She looked from daughter to daughter. "I have one daughter running around and sleeping around with her fiancé." DG felt her face turn a bright shade of red. The Queen turned to Azkadellia. "And I have another daughter avoiding lessons and injuring potential husbands." The queen rose from her desk in a slow manner, almost stately. She kept her eyes on her daughters. "I don't know if you both realize, but you are princesses. A certain level of decorum is required, I don't care if you are in your home, and you are expected to uphold this level." Her voice was tense and upsetting.

"Mother-"DG began. The queen held up a hand.

"Your father and I leave the palace for just one evening and the palace is all a buzz with rumors," She slowly backed away from the desk. "I don't know what to do, really girls." They watched as their mother place a hand over her heart. They knew she wanted to yell, to get whatever was on her chest out, but they knew she lacked the strength. They knew they'd crossed the line with her and it was hard for them to deal with. "We had rules for a reason and you both disobeyed them."

"Are we being punished?" DG asked slowly. Her mother looked carefully at her daughter and sighed. She was never able to stay mad at those wide, blue eyes.

"I can't keep you from Cain. That would be enough punishment, but seeing as he is in charge of looking out for you, I can't keep you two from seeing each other. With the wedding approaching it seems silly." She looked at daughter to daughter again.

"I just want an understanding that you will both behave yourselves from now own. Act your ages and remember who you are." She softly closed her eyes and opened them again. She wanted to open them and see her little girls as little girls again. She wanted the chance to see them grow up into young ladies meant to rule a kingdom. However, after sending DG away to another world and Azkadellia becoming possessed, it was hardly the ending she thought it would be. She sighed.

"DG you will spend the morning in your room wedding planning. Azkadellia you will spend the day in the library with your tutor catching up on lost lessons." Azkadellia started to open her mouth. "No word from you young lady. You have far too much to learn in the next few months and avoiding lessons only makes it worse." Her face softened and she walked over to the girls, pulling them to her in a hug.

"I don't want to get mad at you, but it's hard when you don't listen." She pulled away and looked each daughter in the eye. "Promise me you'll behave."

"Promise," Each girl said. Their mother smiled and backed away, returning to her desk. She nodded. Each girl stayed frozen, awaiting their next orders.

"You girls can leave." Their mother looked up and waved them away. The girls bowed their heads and slowly turned to leave. They couldn't get out of the room fast enough, eager to do anything but stand in that awkward position.

DG sat at her writing desk in her room, tapping her pen impatiently on the desk. She was trying to come up with the perfect way to write her announcements, but was coming up short. John, the event planner, paced behind her slowly, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. The soft thuds of his feet on the carpet distracted her.

"How about: 'We're getting hitched, everybody come!'?" She looked up, a grin on her face. With a heavy groan John shook his head. DG's face fell and her head thumped onto the desk. "I give up." She groaned into the thick, expensive writing paper. She heard John's feet approach and she felt his heavy hand on her shoulder. She raised her head and looked up at him. He looked down on her with understanding eyes. She felt her shoulders slump as he removed his hand, knowing he crossed a line. The help should never touch the princess without being asked first . . . unless you were Cain. DG watched as he backed away and stood facing her. This was the first time she'd ever really looked at the man.

John Dullridge was quite an attractive man. At around his mid to late thirties, the man still looked young and spry. Tall, with dark hair and even darker eyes, he was the embodiment of the expression 'tall, dark and handsome'. Part of his attractiveness seemed to be the assertiveness that had frightened DG as a small girl. He had started at the palace as a teenager, an apprentice to the event planner chosen by the queen as a young girl. He soon retired and John took his place around the time that DG was born. He was the youngest in his field, and it never showed in his work. Now, as he planned the big event, she could see he was nervous. She decided to start taking this stuff serious. She turned to the blank page and poised the pen over it.

"How do I even begin writing this?" She asked. John frowned and crossed his arms, his expensive suit made a crinkling sound. "Don't they have pre-made ones, with the words already written?" She wrinkled her nose and tapped her pen. John smiled.

"Hardly, everything is custom made for princesses. I thought this would be a nice way for you to be involved. This way you are personally inviting the guests yourself. No generic, hokey greetings here." He paused. "Let's brainstorm, what is it you want your guests to know? What is it about Cain that you love?" DG raised an eyebrow.

"You can put that on a wedding announcement?" She laughed as John groaned. "I'm kidding." She paused and thought for a moment. Her thoughts were interrupted as the door shot open. 'I need to deadbolt it' she thought to herself.

"DG it's lun-" Azkadellia stopped as she walked in the room. She eyed John and frowned. "So you're the stuffy shirt man that's locked up my sister all morning." She huffed. "I hate you by principle." DG rolled her eyes and sat down her pen. She looked up at John, and for once he looked impressed. She watched him as he looked her sister up and down, carefully sizing her up.

"Do you think I could take a break? We've been at this all morning." DG stood up from her desk. John nodded. "Thanks. I'll be back after lunch." She slid by the man and linked her arm with her sister's. As the girls walked out the door DG nudged her sister.

"Rude much?" she asked. Azkadellia grinned. "You really are evil." DG poked her sister's arm. Azkadellia let out a wicked cackle and the two girls laughed all the way to the dining room.

_Thank you for reading! Please leave me feedback, it lets me know how I'm doing. No feedback, no new chapters._


	6. Chapter 5

"So do you like eggshell or off white?" DG asked, holding up two pieces of paper. Cain looked at both and blinked. "What?"

"They are the same thing." He said. They'd only been at this for an hour and he already regretted it. Shouldn't it be her mother in here helping her? DG frowned and threw the paper on the table. "What now?" he said.

"They aren't the same thing Cain. One is eggshell and the other is off-white." She pointed to one than the other.

"No, they are white and white. There isn't a difference." He watched as John took a step backwards, preparing for the worse.

"They aren't the same thing." DG said. "What's the use?" She threw her hands in the air. "Why don't we just send out announcements out on notebook paper?" She sat back in the high backed chair and firmly crossed her arms.

"How about this," John said handing over a piece of sample paper. The soft cream paper felt soft and luxurious in their hands. The gold leaf decorum and calligraphy writing all screamed out money. DG's eyes grew large and Cain shook his head.

"I think it's too much." Cain said. DG shook her head this time.

"I think it's perfect. Do you know who we'll be sending this to?"

"Are you having that special time of the month?" Cain asked softly. John closed his eyes tightly, tilting his head. Cain hadn't been around women in so long that he didn't know what to ask and what not to ask. DG's mouth dropped and she let out a small squeak. She pushed herself up from the chair and stomped to the door.

"You know what, you two plan the wedding. I hope you are happy together!" She slammed the door behind her, leaving the two men alone in the room. Cain turned to John and frowned.

John smiled and stood up from the table. He started picking up books and pamphlets, clearly noting that this may be when he calls it a day. He watched as Cain ran a hand through his hair, aggravation over his face.

"What am I doing wrong?" He muttered. He turned to John and shook his head. "I don't think I can do this. I know nothing about weddings and even if I do," he picked up the announcement, "this is just too much. It's too extravagant." John nodded and walked over, taking the paper from the man.

"Yes, for some, this would be too extravagant. However, you're not marring a normal person. You're marrying a princess. If you send out anything less, than people would talk." He sat the paper down. "Listen; don't let the details frustrate you. DG just wants your input. It's your wedding too. Just be happy she's even including you in the decision process. Most brides won't even let the men set foot inside the room." He leaned on the edge of the table. Cain sat there, taking in all the advice.

"Trust me. The invitation is the most serious thing, so it's the most extravagant. I promise that from now on, things will be a lot simpler." He nodded. Cain gave him a skeptical look. "Ok so it won't be wild flowers in a field, but I'll make sure things don't get too overboard." He patted Cain on the shoulder and straightened up. He walked over to the other side of the table, grabbing his jacket. Cain looked over at him.

"What do you suggest for a ring?" Cain asked. John looked over at him, confused.

"Wedding bands are simple gold or platinum if you want." He shrugged. Cain shook his head.

"No, engagement ring. I still haven't bought one for her and I don't know what to get."

"Yes, I noticed she didn't have one, but I didn't want to say anything." John nodded and sat in a chair. He ran a hand through his own hair and thought for a moment. "You want something nice enough for a princess, but cheap enough for your budget." He guessed.

"I'm just a security guard in all reality. I can't even afford a fraction of what I should get." Cain sat forward, placing an arm on the table. John squinted his dark eyes at the man and tilted his head.

"You have met this fiancée of yours right?" Cain nodded slowly. "Then you know she wouldn't care what you gave her. I've been with her everyday for a month and the mention of an engagement ring hasn't left her lips. IF she cared about the ring, she'd tell you." Cain let this sink in.

"So, what should I do? I really want to. I didn't get the chance to get Adora one, and I really want to for DG. She's been through so much." He looked at John hopeful. John sighed and pulled a card out his wallet.

"About half an hour away from the palace, in a small set of woods, is an old house. It's part Bed and Breakfast, part antique shop. The old man who owns the shop is a friend of the families. I'm almost positive you'll find something for DG that she will love and it will be affordable." He handed the card over to Cain. "Tell them John sent you and he'll show you his rare items as well." John nodded and turned back to his belongings. He slipped on his coat and glanced at his watch. "I have to go to a meeting with the queen and then I have to go convince your blushing bride to do more planning."

"Um," Cain tapped on the card with a finger. John nodded in understanding.

"I'll tell the queen and DG that you have to run an important errand out of the palace. I'll make sure they understand." Cain rose and reached for his hat and jacket.

"Also, will you tell the queen that I would like to meet with her later this afternoon? It's very important." John nodded. Cain said his thanks then turned to leave. John watched him leave, feeling very envious that the man was happy. He only wished he could find the same happiness.

Cain looked up from the card to the old house. Yes, same address. The old house looked like it had seen better days, but what it lacked in paint, it made up for in charm. It was hardly an eyesore; it just looked like it had been reluctantly ignored the past decade, like most of the O.Z. He stepped up on the creaky old porch and looked at the old open sign. He wondered just how much business the old place received over the years. He knocked on the door then pulled it open, letting his presence be known. He expected the inside to be in much of the same condition as the outside, but he was surprisingly mistaken.

The old hardwood floors gleamed and sparkled and the air smelled of fresh lavender. The walls were a soft yellow. The interior and floor plan reminded him of the house DG grew up in back in Kansas. He smiled to himself and knew he'd have to bring her back here one day. As his heavy boots made heavy sounds on the floor, he made his way to the front desk. He reached over and rang the little silver bell.

"Just a moment!" a tiny voice called out. Cain looked around the room as he waited. He looked on shelves that held tiny chochkees and then at the walls lined with old, yellowed framed pictures. The silver frames held pictures of a once happy family. A mother and a father held a small baby boy in their arms, a doggy yapping at their feet. The pictures progressed through the years up until the boy was a very small adolescent and then they stopped.

"That's are son." The tiny voice said behind him. Cain turned around to see a kind old woman looking up at him. "He went off one day and never came back. We fear that the years of the old witch did him in." She toddled over behind the desk and looked up at the man with hope. "We haven't had a visitor in years; it's good to finally have someone. What can I do for you?" Cain turned and walked back towards the woman.

"I was told your husband sold antique engagement rings." Cain said slowly. The old woman grinned, her wrinkles giving in.

"You're getting married!" She cooed. Cain nodded. He handed over John's card. The old woman looked at it over her tiny glasses and hmmmed. "I didn't know John was doing more than one wedding. Last thing I knew he was handling the royal wedding." She looked up at Cain. Cain looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Well I'll be!" She hollered. "Look at that, a ring for a princess."

"JACOB!" She yelled out. Cain looked at the woman, not knowing she had it in her.

"WHAT NORA?" A heavy voice responded. "I'M BUSY!"

"YOU HAVE A CUSTOMER!" She yelled back.

"WELL SEND HIM BACK!" Nora turned to Cain and smiled.

"You can go back," She pointed to the hallway behind Cain. Cain looked over his shoulder then turned back.

"Thank you." He said. He turned and walked back towards the back room. As he walked down the small hallway, he was certain that he'd have to bring DG here.

"You have a wonderful place." Cain said as he approached Jacob. The back room was filled with old clocks and plates, rings and dolls. "I think I may have to come back here with my future wife for our honeymoon. It looks just like the home she grew up in." Jacob looked up from his book and smiled at Cain.

"I've heard about you." Jacob said. Cain stopped in his tracks, wondering if he should reach for his gun. "You're that Cain fellow that helped save the kingdom. I recognize the picture." He pointed to the wall where the wanted poster hung. "I never believed that you were a bad person. I knew what you all were up to. And now you're marrying a princess. Maybe there is hope for the lesser men of the world." Cain nodded his head and felt embarrassed suddenly.

"I came by word of John." Cain said, taking the small white card out of his pocket. Jacob accepted the card and opened his eyes wide.

Jacob pulled out a tiny box and placed it on the counter. "I've been saving this for the right person." He opened the lid and Cain immediately knew this one was it. The white gold ring sparkled in the light. A half carat stone gleamed up at the man. On either side of the stone, were two hearts engraved on the band. Each pair on each side linked together, never to part.

"I've had this one for a while. I always thought I'd give it to my own son for his wedding." The old man paused, taking a shaky breath. "That won't ever be." He looked up at Cain and gave him a shrug. "Oh well."

"How much?" Cain asked. Jacob gave it some thought.

"For you, $1000," he said, with a nod of certainty. Cain reached for his wallet and started counting out his money carefully. Jacob watched him as the man searched for the money. Jacob felt like Cain had a lot of himself inside of him. He even reminded him of his own son. He wouldn't tell his wife, but their son showed up during the reign of the evil witch. He'd grown but he still had the same determination and strength he had as a boy. Now looking at Cain, it was like looking at the son he wished he had. Cain sat down a stack of money, searching for more within the leather of his wallet. Making a quick decision, Jacob put his hand over Cain's. Cain looked up at the man and furrowed his brow.

"How about this? You and your bride stay here for your honeymoon and I'll let you have the ring."

"Really?" Cain asked, surprised by the generosity. "I don't think that's a fair trade." The man said. Jacob insisted.

"It would be nice to get someone in here as a guest again. Trust me. It would mean the world to us." He patted Cain's hand. Cain had lost his family at an early age. When he met Adora and they had Jeb, this replaced the family he lost. Then he lost them all over again. Jacob felt like the father he lost and he felt honored that the man trusted him with this.

"Thank you so much." Cain said. Jacob waved a hand in the air.

"Pshh, anything for the man who helped save our people." Cain looked down and suddenly felt what DG must always be going through. He pocked the ring safely in his coat pocket and wrote down the date of the honeymoon on the back of John's card.

"We'll be back then." He said, slipping the card over to the old man. Jacob nodded and put the card in his front shirt pocket.

"We'll be looking forward to it. Have a great day Mr. Cain." Jacob offered the man his hand.

"Call me Wyatt." Cain said, shaking the man's hand. Jacob nodded and then watched as Cain left the room, happy he'd stopped by.

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	7. Chapter 6

Cain walked back and forth along the soft carpet, trying to figure out a way to do it right. He'd messed up the first time he tried. He let his nerves get the best of him and he ended up acting like a fool, practically throwing the proposal at her like it was a ball to be tossed back and forth. Now, however, he'd do it right. He had the ring, he knew the answer, and all he had to do was get up the nerve to do it again. He considered just leaving the ring on her nightstand with a note that stated it was for her and she should wear it on her left ring finger. He quickly shot that idea down. He wished he had made it back in time to get some advice from John. After all, it was his fault Cain went out and ran to get a ring. He thought back that evening when he arrived back at the palace. The only person he ran into was the one person he knew could trust, but didn't really want to stoop to that level.

"Glitch," He murmured to the man that stood in the music room. Glitch spun around and grinned happily at the approaching man. Cain pulled out the ring and wordlessly showed the ex-advisor. Glitch's face filled with delight and his mouth formed a perfect O.

"Oh it's so shiny." His eyes gleamed and sparkled almost as bright as the diamond before him. His face fell fast though. "But do you really think DG would approve of you proposing to me. I mean I'm honored, but-"

"Can it zipperhead." Cain said with a roll of his blue eyes. Glitch clamped his mouth shut tightly and kept his eyes on the ring. Cain didn't mean to be rude to Glitch. The two had formed a bond or at least a semi-friendship over the past months. However, he was under the wire and he needed advise fast if he wanted to surprise DG that evening. "Sorry." He apologized. "I'm just kind of nervous." Cain back tracked quickly to erase his rudeness then sped back up to get the advice.

"So I need to know how to properly propose to DG." He said. Glitch's mouth seemed to turn cockeye as his head cocked to the right. He knew this, he'd advised many a man on how to propose to a woman. Now if he could just figure out what exactly what the advice was. Cain sighed loudly and muttered some obscenity under his breath; his hand waving in the air. "Quickly Glitch."

"I'm thinking on a knee would be best. Perhaps with terms of endearment?" Cain threw his hands up in the air and pushed past the man on the way back to his own room. He knew all about how to do it, the basics. It was the little things that he needed.

"It's all from the heart." Glitch yelled. Cain froze and turned slowly. Glitch gulped and expected a firm lashing of words from the stern man. Maybe he should try to restrain what he said and when he said it.

"What did you say?" Cain asked.

"It's all from the heart." Glitch repeated slower. Cain motioned for him to continue. "Well you have this new, FORGIVING, heart," he emphasized the important word, hoping the man would practice his own restrain and not hurt the bumbling help. "All I'm saying, is you have everything you'll ever need tightly packed up in there," he pointed to Cain's chest. "You just have to find a way to use it. What good is a new, forgiving heart if you never use it?" Glitch shrugged and watched as Cain processed this advice. The man thanked Glitch sincerely as he could then ran off, hunting for a place to be alone to think things through.

Now Cain was standing in DG's room, waiting for her to return from her long day. After a brief visit with the queen to get her permission to do it properly, he'd spent the past hour trying to find that part of him from within that would help him say the right thing. Now, all he seemed to have were butterflies. He thought he'd die the first time he proposed, but now he felt he would keel over right there on the carpet. He jumped as he heard the door knob jiggle. The opened with a start and DG walked into the room. She looked tired, her dark hair pulled back out of her face. She dropped a large pile of junk on a chair near the door and smiled over Cain.

"You would not believe the day that I've had." DG moaned as she walked into the room, completely missing the point that Cain was standing in her room, a big off limits according to the rules. She started to pull off her shoes, one by one, on her way to the bathroom. "After your little hissy fit, I was forced to endure hours of flowers and music and dresses." Cain overlooked the fact that it was in fact her own hissy fit that started the drama and kindly pushed it aside. He kept his eyes on her as she stumbled into the bathroom, hopping on one foot as she tried to yang a shoe off. He smiled to himself, man did he love her. He heard the water start in the tub and he knew he'd better be quick.

"Come to find out I am a very indecisive person," DG called out. She could almost see Cain roll his eyes back into his head. She smiled and started to unbuckle her jeans. "I don't know whether we should have red roses or pink tulips. I don't know if chicken or beef would be better." She kicked off her jeans and threw them onto a waiting chair.

"DG we need-"Cain poked his head into the bathroom.

"Why don't we just run away and get married?" DG looked at him, her eyes full of adventure. Cain contemplated it briefly, but DG shot it down herself. "Nah you're right. Mom and Dad would hate that." She threw off her sweater and stood half naked in the bathroom, her hands resting on her hips. Cain watched her tap her bare foot on the marble floor.

"DG can we ta-"

"But what if we don't need a big wedding." She walked over to a different chair and pulled on a loose robe, covering her body. Cain watched as she wiggled out of her underwear and then watched as she did some kind of magical arm thing and then out popped her bra. Men have been trying to come up with a way to unhook a bra with one hand and then women go and pull a move like that and men are back to the beginning. He shook his head, distracted by her techniques. He shook his head hard and looked squarely at DG.

"DG stop, we need to talk," Cain said sternly. DG turned to face him, her face filled with frustration.

"Can't this wait until after my bubble bath?" She asked. "If you're nice I'll let you join me." She played with the sash to her fancy robe. The soft blue silk brushed up against her skin, bringing out the blue in her eyes. Cain looked up and down and for a moment forgot why he came. His hand felt the ring in his pocket and he remembered quickly.

"I love you." He said. DG looked at him, her eyes softening. "I love you in a way I never thought a man really could. I love you in a way that I want to tell everyone and I want to do so even if it makes me look like half the man that I am. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and never stopping. I love the way you drive me insane with independence and your indecisiveness." DG grinned. So he had been listening.

"I love the way you care about everybody and everything. I love the fact that you don't know what you want to do in this life, and that's ok. I don't care what you do, as long as I get to do it with you." He paused. He pulled out the ring and held it up.

"So, please marry me." He said at last. DG looked down at his eyes, ignoring the ring in his hand, completely entranced by his gazed.

"I thought we were getting married," she said softly. Had she misheard the question all those months back? Had he asked her if she was ready to be asked if she wanted to get married? Now a million thoughts raced around her head, all fighting for a way out.

"We are. I just thought I'd make it formal." He held the ring up higher.

"We aren't formal people Cain. We don't do formal. You don't even know what fork to use at the dinner table and I can hardly bow without toppling over. We are not formal." Her wide eyes grew even wider as she tried to explain this to him, fearing she was just explaining to relieve her own tension. Cain let out a frustrated grunt and shifted knees. He could feel the age of his knees as his weight pressed down and he felt like this was going no where.

"DG, please, the ring." He shook the ring in the air, emphasizing his frustration. She looked down at the small band. She had avoided it for a reason. If she accepted the ring then that was it, it was cemented. She wasn't the type of person to accept a ring and then throw it away at the first sign of trouble. Up until this point there had been no ring, no symbol, no cement. There was a way to back out. Now, looking at that tiny piece of metal, she was torn.

'Don't do this. You've already said yes,' She thought to herself. 'Just take the ring and go about your life as if it had been there when he first asked.' She looked at the hearts entwined on the sides of the ring, their hearts. She loved him, she knew she did, but why was this so hard. She'd been planning a wedding for months without a stupid ring, so why was this blocking her?

"DG," Cain whispered a hint of pain in his voice. "I think my knee is giving out." He leaned a little to the right, trying to stay balanced. DG smiled and took his hands, pulling him to his feet. "No-you, I, knee," Cain stumbled as he stood on both feet. "I'm supposed to be on one knee, in front of you. You're supposed to take the ring and then I stand." Cain looked down disappointed. He'd never be able to get it right.

"I'd be crazy not to say yes." DG said finally. "Of course I'll marry you, again" She laughed. Cain slipped the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly, as it should. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "We're really doing this, right?" She asked, sounding more nervous than ever before. "The whole thing, right?"

"Yes," Cain said with a firm tone. DG nodded and put her head on his chest, closing her tired eyes. "Now," Cain whispered in a softer tone. "What did I hear about a bubble bath?"

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	8. Chapter 7

DG woke up the next morning to an empty bed. She vaguely remembered Cain getting up before dawn. She could feel the place where his lips touched her forehead, gently kissing her without disrupting her slumber. She counted down the days until there wouldn't be a need for him to get up and rush off to prevent being caught by a guard or even worse, a parent. She just wanted the process to go by as fast as possible; she wasn't one to be calm and patient when it came to waiting for things. Hell, she ran into all kinds of trouble without a second thought, how different could marriage be?

She felt alone in her large bed without him there. He was always up before she awoke and except for a few appearances throughout the day, she didn't see him again until nighttime. She wondered if this is what Adora felt. Is this why she strayed so far from Cain and into the arms of Zero? She shuttered at the thought of that cold, cruel man and tried to remember that he was locked away somewhere.

She felt bad about disobeying her mother and father's rules. She just wasn't disobeying them, she was blatantly doing so. She just couldn't help saying good bye to him at night. She felt safe in his arms. Even if they really did nothing but sleep, it was still a comfort to know he was there, in case trouble occurred.

She knew, however, that rumors would get back to her parents and then she'd be in trouble. What scared her most was what could happen to Cain. Would they fire him? Send him out into the farthest reaches of the kingdom? She'd have to talk to him today even though he might regret it.

As she rolled onto her back she stretched her arms. She attempted to lift her head but immediately regretted the decision as it throbbed with pain. She slumped back on the bed and closed her eyes tightly. She felt so sick, like she lacked all energy. All day wedding planning and late night slumber parties with Cain were starting to take a toll on the young princess. She groaned and dug her head into her pillow. She pulled the covers up to her chin and snuggled back into the warm area where her body once slept. There was no way she'd be getting out of bed this morning. No way, no how. She closed her eyes, willing the headache to go away. There were dozens magical tricks up her sleeves, but none of them could make the headache go away.

"Deeg, wakie wakie." Her sister's soft voice filtered through her dreams. All she wanted was one morning free from disruptions. Opening an eye and seeing her sister there clarified to DG that this would not occur this morning.

"What Az." DG mumbled into her pillow and shut her eye. "I don't feel good. Cancel all my plans for the day." Azkadellia's mouth dropped and she placed a hand on her hip.

"Do I look like you're personal assistant? I don't think so." She hopped onto the bed, pushing her sick sister to the side. "I have another date I have to go on."

"Really Az, I don't feel good." DG whimpered. Azkadellia nodded.

"I know. The whole palace does in fact. Some maid was furious with you when she left this morning. Something about you screaming at her about your head hurting." Azkadellia tried to remember the exact words. "It doesn't sound like you."

"It isn't me. The maids hate me anyway. They'll say anything bad against me."

"Why is that?" Azkadellia patiently tried to be a good sister, even though she really needed advice on her date.

"Because I'm marrying Cain." DG said with a huff as she quickly sat up in bed, ignoring the pain in her head, focusing on the pain in front of her. Azkadellia looked at her sister curiously. "Yes. The entire maid staff hates me because I stole the only man worthy of getting married to. They all hate me." DG threw her hands in the air and fell back on a pillow. Azadellia frowned and smoothed the hair out of her sister's face.

"You do feel warm. I'll tell mother you should stay in bed." DG pushed her sister's hand away.

"Did you hear me? The entire maid staff hates me!" DG cried. Azkadellia rolled her eyes. Since when has DG been the drama queen?

"How do you think I feel? No one looks at me because I tried to take over the kingdom and bring eternal darkness to the kingdom." She patted her sister on the leg. "Now focus." Her brow crossed and she looked to her sister for support.

"So you have a date?

"Yes. I have a date with a," Azkadellia looked down at the little day planner in her hand. "Zachary Thackeray." She looked up at her sister. "He sounds promising. 44, single all his life, still lives with mommy, has a comb over. Oh, and what's that? Yes, his freaking name rhymes. I'm doomed." She fell back onto the thick quilt and sprawled her arms out.

"Oh, by the way, mother and father want you and Cain at dinner tonight." DG's head sprung up from the pillow faster than she would have liked. She held her head in her hands and glared over at her sister.

"You don't think you could have mentioned that when you first got here." Azkadellia shrugged. "What do they want?" DG's mind raced. What could they want? Maybe it was just a dinner to welcome Cain into the family. This could not be good. Maybe they found out about the late nights the two had been having. She groaned and shook her head. This could only end in misery.

"I won't' be there, so please take pictures." Azadellia smiled with glee.

Both girls looked up at the sound of a knock at the door. DG heard Cain's heavy footsteps as he entered the room. His face was red and wind burned. He looked cold and his breath was heavy, like he'd just run a marathon. DG looked over at him and knew he'd been out all morning patrolling the boarder of the palace's land, making sure everyone remained safe. She smiled at him, instantly feeling a tiny bit better.

"Hey you," She sat up in her bed. Azkadellia even grinned, noticing the improvement in her sister's health. "You look cold. Come warm-"DG was stopped by a succession of three sneezes. Azkadellia frowned and handed her sister a soft white handkerchief. Cain looked over, suddenly very worried.

"So it's true. You are sick." He walked over towards the head of the bed. He stopped and placed a head on her forehead. She was very warm and it didn't take a doctor to tell him that. His hand lingered a moment, brushing the hair away from her eyes. He watched her look up at him, her weak eyes needing rest. However, he knew the palace was a very unforgiving place for a sick princess, especially an engaged one. "You need rest." He looked over at Azkadellia. She stood, taking the hint to scram.

"I'll be back later to check on you." She said. DG nodded and covered her mouth as she sneezed again. "Take care of her." Azkadellia looked over at Cain and gave him a weary smile, happy to have him looking out for her sister.

"Don't forget to warn him about dinner." Azkadellia said from the doorway. DG glared over at her sister as the door closed firmly behind her. She looked over at Cain and sheepishly grinned.

"Dinner?" Cain said slowly. "What dinner?" DG wiggled down into the covers and pulled them higher.

"I'm sick, achoo, don't hurt me." DG pouted. Cain rolled his eyes up at the guided ceiling and wondered to himself what family he was about to get into. "Dress to impress." DG said in a sing-song way.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Cain asked DG. "Anything I can do?"

"You can stay with me and lay in bed all day." She grinned up at him, already knowing the answer.

"I wish I could, but I have things to do all day. And now that I'm being dragged to a dinner I'm not entirely too happy about going to, I have to prepare." He bent down and kissed her softly on the forhead. "I have to go. I only had enough time to run in to see if you were ok." DG laughed.

"Cain you have this place locked down to tight that it's amazing germs could find me." She sneezed again. "I think I'll be fine." She patted him on the hand. Cain stood, relieved her humor was still intact.

"Try to get some rest." He eyed her carefully. DG nodded as she yawned into her pillow. He backed away from the bed slowly, heading over to the door. DG's heavy eye lids closed a few moments after the heavy door shut. She thought she was safe from duty for the day, but a few hours later the same heavy door squeaked open. She groaned and sat up.

"I swear, if there are any color swatches for table linens in that bag, I will scream." DG tried to yell, but it only came out a hoarse whisper. So much for trying to be intimidating. John laughed at her scruffy appearance and sound and shook his head.

"No swatches, yet." He held up his pointer finger and gave her an assuring glance. "There is too much to do for you to take a sick day. We'll plan from the comfort of your bedroom." He smiled and gestured to a maid waiting in the hall. She walked in carrying several quilts. She sat them on a chair near the door and then walked over to the fireplace in the corner of the room. She started a warm, crackling fire and left quietly. A second maid brought in a tray with a bowl of soup and a plate of crackers. DG knew the smell instantly and grinned.

"I thought we'd hold off on wedding cake tasting for the day in favor of chicken noodle soup. Cain insisted." John took the tray from the maid and carefully brought it over to the night stand. "He sure can put together a mean batch of soup." John said. He watched DG wiggle up to a sitting position, clearing away old handkerchiefs. Her nose was red and worn and her small face seemed tired. However, her smile seemed relatively happy.

"Yes, his soup is the best." She took the soup form him and took a deep breath. The warm brothy smell filled her nose and she instantly felt better. She thought back to when she first found out Cain cooked, back all those months before to when they were trapped in Kansas. It seemed so far back now. She looked up at John and smiled.

"Tell me about your sister." John pulled over the chair from DG's desk and sat in it backwards. He rested his long, tan arms on the back of the chair and looked over at DG intently. DG swallowed her soup slowly, allowing the warm broth to seep down into the back of her throat. She didn't know what to say to this man. What did he want to know? Why did he want to know? It was confusing for someone who grew up without a sibling for so long and couldn't remember the years she did have a sibling. She thought they were going to plan for the wedding today. She shrugged and thought that any aversion was better than none. She chewed the bottom of her lip and thought for a moment.

"What do you want to know?" She asked John. John drummed his fingers on the chair and shrugged. DG watched him carefully. He had become less of the stuffy, scary man she once thought he had been. He was starting to loosen up and DG liked it. She felt like maybe she could warm up to him.

"I don't know. I mean I know all about the usual things about her: the possessed years, the bondage, the torture. What I really want to know is who Azkadellia is. What does she like?"

"You don't like her do you?" DG asked, suddenly very certain of John's motives. John looked down at a polished shoe. He scuffed the carpet and kept his eyes down.

"She intrigues me." He muttered. DG raised an eyebrow and thought about that for a moment. "Besides, she's the crowned princess, future queen. What would she want with me?"

"Oh I can think of several examples." DG muttered before being attacked by a sneezing fit. Papers flew everywhere and the bed shook as DG sneezed a half a dozen times. John handed her a handkerchief and looked down at her with a feeling of guilt. Part of the reason she was so sick was the fact they'd been in working nonstop trying to plan this wedding. Except for Azkadellia and Cain, no one seemed to be making sure she was ok. She looked up at him, her eyes thanking him as she blew her nose.

"Don't think that nothing could happen between the two of you. I'm a princess and I'm marrying my bodyguard. If there's a will, there's a way. I can put you on her date list; schedule you in for a broken arm or a cracked rib." She watched John smile. So he had heard about the disastrous first date. "I don't know how good your insurance is, but I'm sure we can handle all injuries being that we are the royal family." John let out a large laugh and DG smiled, happy to have some to joke around with. She was about to mention more to John about her sister when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," DG tried to yell. John walked over and opened the door. A small, young man entered the room. A messenger in training, Oliver was one of the newest staff members in the palace.

"Hello Oliver." DG smiled from the bed. Oliver meekly stood a few paces from the doorway, holding a small envelope. "How can I help you?" DG asked. Oliver held out the letter and John took it from him softly.

"Thank you Oliver." John said. Oliver nodded and turned to leave, but John stopped him. "Oliver, I have a very important job for you." He looked over at DG and winked. The young messenger turned to face John, his wide eyes darting from John to DG. "I am looking for a messenger to deliver the invitations to the wedding. They all have to be delivered by hand. I was wondering if a man like you would like the job."

"Really?" Oliver's wide eyes grew even larger and they sparkled with opportunity. John nodded. "I would love that." The messenger practically jumped up and down.

"Good. I'll send you more information as I get it." John held out his hand and Oliver shook it with quite an amount of force. He turned around to leave, stopping quickly to thank both John and DG. Both smiled graciously and watched the excited man leave. John chuckled after the door closed. He walked over to DG, the letter in his hand.

"Why Oliver?" DG asked. She took the letter from John. "He's the worse person for the job."

"Don't worry. I'll give him just a few to deliver. It will help him feel like he belongs within the palace." DG frowned as she went to open the letter. "Just a couple and just to those we know aren't going to come anyway." John watched as DG started to read the letter before her. Her face filled with confusion as her eyes scrolled through the writing. John saw something was wrong and thought it would be best to take his cue to exit for a moment.

"I'm going to get some tea. Would you like anything?" John asked. DG looked from the letter. She nodded slowly. John looked at her carefully, wondering what was written on that paper that had DG all worried. He backed away slowly. "Don't think you've gotten out of planning anything for the day." DG looked up at him and glared. "I'll be back." He said softly and carefully shut the door behind him. After he'd left DG looked back down at the informal letter, reading the lines again one more time.

_Dear Princess,_

_We thoroughly enjoyed meeting your fiancé the other day. You are quite a lucky young woman to be marrying such a wonderful man. If we had been blessed with a daughter we would want the same for her. I know you probably hear it a lot during your visits around the kingdom, but we are very thankful for what you and your friends did for us. We lived in fear and darkness for such a long time and we feared it would remain permanently. _

_I want you to know that we are happy for you and Mr. Cain. We had a son that went missing years ago. Last time we heard from him he'd run off and had a child. Now we never see him and think that the worse has happened. However, when Mr. Cain visited us today, we were honored. He reminded us of our own son and were instantly filled with a sense that maybe he was still out there. We are looking forward to you two coming to our home for your honeymoon. It is an enormous honor to have you. Again, congratulations on your momentous occasion. We thank you for everything you have done for us. Best of luck in the future._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Jacob and Nora _

She turned the letter over, looking on the back. Who were Jacob and Nora and how did Cain know them. She sat the letter on her lap and crossed her arms. Why did she feel there was so much about Cain that she didn't know? She sat up in her bed, feeling her head pound. She'd have to discuss this with him later, now she'd have to focus on this wedding she was planning.

_please don't forget to leave feedback! Good or bad I still appreciate it! _


	9. Chapter 8

DG sat on the end of Cain's bed, a pair of delicate heels dangled from the edge of the bed. There were certain rules in the house that could be moved around. Her sleeping with Cain was a prime example of one that could be fibbed a smidge. However, dinner with the parents could not be avoided. That was one thing from her childhood she remembered quite vividly. It didn't matter if she was held up all day in bed with the chicken pox; she was still expected to eat dinner that evening with her family. Not only that, but dress was anything but casual.

She finished up with her wedding planning extravaganza and set out to help Cain prepare for the evening's festivities. He wasn't there when she arrived, so she made herself at home. Cain had run into the room with such frenzy that she hardly knew it was him at first. He ran over and kissed her forehead. "I know I'm late. I just need to get into the shower quickly."

DG watched in amusement as Cain ran around the room, throwing his clothes off as he went. She laughed as he kicked a shoe off, nearly knocking over a priceless lamp. He gave her an embarrassed look and headed into the bathroom. She listened to his feet as they padded across the tiled floor, over towards the tub and shower.

She looked around his room. It was quite clean considering the fact that he spent very little time here. The only time he ever had to be in his room was for sleeping and even that was very limited lately. Clothes were piled on chairs and on top of dressers, pulled out by Cain as he dressed that morning. She pulled over a shirt that he had thrown onto the bed as he stripped for the shower. It was still warm from his body, smelling of his aftershave and soap.

She could tell he still hadn't adapted to live in the palace. He still felt like one of the people on the palace payroll, not quite used to being a guest. He wasn't used to having a maid make his bed and do his clothing and found it strange that he didn't have to do a thing himself. She looked over at the letter lying beside her, the seal broken due to her intrigue. How could she bring it up? In what manner would it be appropriate? What if she was just overreacting?

"You know there are a million things I'd rather deal with than this dinner." DG looked up from her thoughts as Cain's bathroom door flew open. She watched as he emerged from the steam, wrapping a burgundy towel around his waist. DG couldn't help but stare as the beads of water trickled down his chest, disappearing beneath the trim of the towel.

"DG are you listening to me?" Cain wiped his face with a spare towel. DG looked into his eyes and shook her head.

"You lost me after 'You know'." She looked him up and down, despite herself. Cain walked from the doorway to his bed. She knew this was going to be harder than she thought. Damn tiny towel, it was even worse than the tight pants and hat. She was a strong willed woman, but even now she knew this wouldn't be an easy task. Cain looked over at her, only one thing on his mind.

She looked just like she had at the club the night she found the Mystic Man. He wanted her then in there, in that little black dress and her hair done up. He couldn't have her then, but he certainly could have her now. He listened to her giggle as his hand traveled up her leg. She stopped laughing as his knee parted her legs and he stepped forward between the two legs. He now meant business. He leaned over and covered her lips with his and pulled her closer to him. They didn't have to be down for at least half an hour. He'd been out working all day and all he wanted was to be with the woman he loved, making love.

"Who are Jacob and Nora?" Cain stopped mid kiss and pulled away slightly. DG propped herself up with her elbows and looked over at Cain with her head cocked. The strap to her dress slipped down off her shoulder but Cain dared not reach out and fix it.

"Who?" Cain asked. "I don't think I know a Jacob or a Nora." His pursed together as he leaned closer to DG. "Where were we?" DG reached out and covered his mouth with her hand and pushed his face away.

"I think you know exactly what I mean." She pushed him away and reached over and snatched up the letter. "Ring any bells." Cain took the letter and with a groan, upset this was intruding on his quality time with DG. He grunted as he sat up on the bed, fixing his towel around his waist. DG sat a few feet away watching closely as he read her the words.

"Dear Princess," He started in a mocking tone. "We thoroughly enjoyed meeting your fiancé the other day. You are quite a lucky young woman to be marrying such a wonderful man." He pulled the letter away and set it in his lap. He ran a hand through his wet hair. "Really, I don't know what you're getting so worked up about, you get a dozen letters like this a day." DG reached over and slapped his arm. "Ow, what was that for."

"Wyatt Cain!" She yelled. "Don't lie to me." She reached over and pulled the letter out of his lap, causing him to jump. "_We are looking forward to you two coming to our home for your honeymoon. It is an enormous honor to have you._" She stopped and looked over at him. "Had I known you wanted to be so involved in our wedding plans I would have let you do something. But inviting yourself to some random place with two random strangers is crossing a line." Cain groaned and stood up from the bed, obviously happy time was over. Time to get ready for the dinner from hell. "Are you walking away from this?" She asked, pulling herself over to the edge of the bed.

"Well obviously I am. You see my feet are walking and I'm just obeying the command." DG's mouth dropped. Cain nodded and pointed to his mouth. "Yes, this is sarcasm, I learned it from you." DG wanted to scream as she hopped off the bed and stood there as she watched him slip his towel off. She was too mad at him to ogle him as he stood there naked in his bedroom, frantically searching for his undergarments.

"Why are you being an ass?" She said sternly. Cain grabbed a pair of boxer briefs lying on a chair arm and pulled them over his body. He turned and looked at DG as he reached for an undershirt.

"Why are you being so pissy?" He walked over towards the bathroom, stretched the undershirt over his muscles. DG let out a little huff and followed him over to the bathroom.

"Pissy? Because of this!" She shook the paper in the air. Cain rolled his eyes and turned back into the bathroom. Were they seriously having a fight over a letter congratulating them on their marriage? He pulled out his toothbrush and reached for the tooth paste. He shut the cabinet and looked dead into DG's face. "How come you didn't tell me about them?"

"Because it's not important DG." Cain said honestly. "They are just a nice couple I met a few weeks ago when I bought your ring." He fibbed the part about lying and popped his toothbrush in his mouth.

"Well they sound like they know you quite well. Hell, they practically see you as a son." She looked over at him, her eyes filled with hurt. She watched him as he feverishly brushed his teeth and she thought he'd brush his gums right off. He spat into the sink harshly and turned toward DG. She handed him a wash rag and he cleaned the excess paste from his mouth.

"I swear that was the first time I ever met them. I just happened to remind them of their son."

"Who's their son?" DG asked as Cain pushed past her. He hunted around the room for a clean pair of pants. DG stood in the doorway, her arms crossed tightly at her chest. "Who is it?" She asked again. Cain spun around in a way that made DG jump a little.

"I don't know!" he yelled. He didn't mean to yell at her, but she was getting frustrating. This is part of the reason he didn't want to bring it up. The whole situation seemed odd and he didn't want to bring up any drama until he knew more about it. Until he knew more about the happy old couple that lived in the old house waaaaaay back in the woods. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them slowly. DG looked over at him with a sad look.

"I'm going to head down." She looked down at her hands, willing herself to make it through the rest of the day in one piece.

"DG wait." Cain stepped forward and took her hands in his. DG stopped and looked up at him.

"So are you going to be a quiet flower around your mother tonight?" Cain asked as he

DG threw her hands in the air.

"Why does everyone think I'm so passive around my mother?"

"Well, because you kind of are." DG stomped her foot on the carpet, she'd show him passive.

"So tell us about yourself Mr. Cain." Ahamo said. He could tell something wasn't quite right with the pair as they walked into the dining room that evening. Cain and DG had always been a little rough around the edges when it came to proper etiquette, but when Cain nearly pushed DG into the table as he pushed her chair in and DG smashed Cain's toe "accidentally" he knew something was off. DG looked carefully over at Cain, dreading this entire evening. Cain looked up at his future father in law and took a deep breath.

"Personal or professional?" DG asked. Cain looked over at DG and shook his head. The last thing he needed was for her to get into it with her parents. The queen dabbed the corner of her mouth daintily.

"I imagine professional would be a lot easier for you to manage." She smiled over at the man. Cain knew she was just trying to be polite. She'd never had a member of the royal staff actually sit down with her at her formal dining room. So he understood the great lengths that had been stretched for this evening to be arranged. He tried to make the best out of the situation. He placed an elbow on the table and leaned a little forward, toward his host.

"Well, ma'am," He began. The queen gave him a steady glance towards his elbow and he quickly placed it in his lap. "I was with the Outer Zone police task force for a few years and then was promoted to the special task force unit a few years after that. However, as you know, times became hard around the entire kingdom and I am no longer what you call a Tin Man." He looked awkwardly from mother to father, hoping the silence wouldn't be this awful the entire night.

"So I hear you have a son who is training to be a Tin Man?"

"Wow, professional to personal in less than 5 minutes. That has to be a record." DG raised her water glass in the air. Her mother looked over at her daughter in an exasperated way.

"DG what is your problem tonight?" DG looked over at Cain as he reached down for his roll. So much for support from him.

"I just don't get why we're having this dinner, that's all." She held up her napkin to her nose and blew into it. Cain kept his eyes down at his roll and prayed to whatever god he could think of that could get him out of this awful situation. "I mean we both know you don't really like the idea of Cain and I, but you are happily going along with it because you love me so much." She placed a hand over her heart.

"DG we just want to make you happy. I don't know what we can do to make this any easier on you." Her mother said, carefully treading on eggshells.

"Stop treating me like I'm 5. Listen, you picked the best people, or robots, to raise me. That part is already done. I'm grown and a woman now." Cain watched the faces of DG's parents and understood immediately what they were going through. He'd missed out on raising Jeb. He never got to see him become the man he'd grown to be and it killed him to know that. He suddenly understood the struggle of what they were going through, having to give their baby girl away to a rough and tumble ex-Tin Man.

"DG." He said softly, trying to pull her back in. She looked over at him, her eyes beyond angry.

"What Cain? I'm just being more assertive, something everybody says I'm apparently lacking." She pushed her chair away from the table. Her mother moved to stand up but DG stopped her. "Really, I'm not feeling well and a rich dinner filled with awkward questions and even more awkward silence is not going to make my headache go away." Her mother sat down, defeated. DG turned from the table and walked away towards the hallway towards her room.

Cain looked down at his plate as DG pulled away from the table.

"Thank you for the, uh, roll. It was very good." He muttered. The queen nodded and Ahamo smiled at the man. "Have a good night."

"You too." Ahamo looked over at Cain as he scooted his chair out from under him. Even though the evening turned out to be a disaster, it still shaped up in Ahamo's eyes. He wanted to see just who this Cain was and even though DG called the evening short, he still was able to make out a fine main in Cain. It certainly was something he could work with.

"What was that all about?" Cain whispered as he caught up with DG further down the hall. DG turned to face him, her eyes rimmed with tears. She willed herself not to cry and the tears clung to her eyelashes, trying not to fall.

"You wanted me to be less passive." She whispered harshly as she made her way back to her room.

"Less passive, yes. A complete bitch? Not really!" Cain grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. "What in the hell has gotten into you?" He looked into her eyes and immediately felt awful. She looked so tired, so worn out. He'd forgotten in all this hoopla that she'd been sick. What she really needed was to be in bed, but she'd been pulled, once again, into the whirl wind of wedding junk. DG looked up at him, ready to fall down at any moment. She was tired of acting so strong. She was tired of trying to hold back, but people said she was passive. She was tired of being more out spoken and then called a bitch. She couldn't do this much longer without completely falling apart at the seams. "I'm sorry." Cain said as he pulled her into his arms. She fell into them, welcoming the comfort. He picked her up, feeling just how tired she really was. He didn't think he'd ever feel her this tired before. He brought her into her room and helped her change out of her clothes into more comfortable pajamas. Cain kicked off his heavy boots and got into bed with DG.

DG lay curled up in Cain's arms, her face twisted up as another round of sneezes filled the air. Cain felt her entire body tense as the onslaught approached and then it relaxed in a heap after wards. DG let out an exasperated sigh and curled up closer to him. He listened as she sniffled and handed her a new handkerchief.

"You need to get some sleep. It's been a long day for you." Cain said as he kissed the top of her head. DG shook her tired head and held back a yawn. "You want to talk about earlier?" He whispered into her ear. DG shook her head.

"DG I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jacob and Nora. I shouldn't have kept if from you." DG remained silent. "It's just that if you knew the truth. . ." He quietly tapered off. DG pulled her head up and looked over at him.

"If I knew the truth what?" She asked, her tired eyes filling with concern. Cain took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"If you knew the truth," He paused. "You would think less of me." He looked down at her and shrugged. DG shook her head wildly. She pulled away and up into a sitting position. She took Cain's somber face in her hands and turned his face to hers.

"I would never think less of you." She said firmly. "Don't ever think that." She demanded. She softened her hands on his face and looked down at her lap. Cain took her hands in his and brought them down.

"What?" It was his turn to be concerned. DG shrugged.

"There's just this entire past about you that I know nothing about and bit by bit I'm learning it. It's like there's this part of you I don't know about and I feel like I'm missing out. We're getting married soon and we're fighting over stupid things." She looked away, embarrassed she was even bringing it up. Cain reached up and held her chin in between his thumb and pointer and nudged her face back to look at his.

"My past is. . ." he looked up, trying to find the right words. "It's complicated. It's not something I'm proud of and it's something I try not to remember. There are bits that are worth sharing, but others are just too much to even think about. Trust me when I say that you are not missing out on anything. I've told you all you need to know, all you should know and I'm sorry if you think you don't know enough."

"I couldn't afford to buy your ring." He said softly. DG's eyes grew wide as she looked over at him. "Jacob made me promise that if he gave me the ring, I'd come back with you for our honeymoon." DG shook her head.

"What?"

"I'm no prince. I can't even afford a new coat or a new hat even. I'm literally at the mercy of your parents. What I can give you is nothing worthy of a princess and I just wanted you to have one think that maybe a princess would have. Hell, even Adora had a ring, for whatever that means."

DG curled up into his arms, her eyes droopy and sad. She'd been a drama queen and blown up for no reason. She was physically and emotionally drained and she felt even worse now. "Wyatt, I don't need anything from you. I don't need to be impressed." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in his scent. She would never forget the scent of him. Even when he went off for an assignment, she still could smell him. She felt his arms pull her closer inwards. "Everything I need is right here."

"I should go." Cain whispered. DG nodded slowly.

"Just stay with me until I'm asleep. Then you can go." DG said sadly. Cain nodded and closed his eyes. This was the worst part of the entire day, having to say good night and leave her alone in her large bed. He knew it was one of the safest places she could be right now, but part of him knew that without him there, anything could happen to her and he'd be too far away to even hear her. He counted down the day silently to himself until the wedding and then he would never have to leave her side again.

_Please, if you are reading, leave feedback! I really do enjoy reading your comments and I do use your suggestions throughout the story!_


	10. Chapter 9

DG was sitting in the sun room of the palace late morning the next day. The palace was all abuzz around her but she seemed to be in her own element. She was biting an apple and staring off into nowhere. She was supposed to be writing vowels but under the circumstances, it seemed a little awkward.

"So I heard about your little blow up last night," Her sister said from behind DG.

"Did Cain tell you about that?" DG asked wide eyed as she faced her sister. Azkadellia looked over happily.

"I'm talking about the blow up with mother and father, but I think your version is a lot better. I'm intrigued. Do tell all." She walked over and pulled a chair over next to her sister. She sat down and fluffed her silk dress. DG rolled her blue eyes and sighed. She told her sister about the disaster that was the night before. Azkadellia listened intently and made sure not to say a word until after DG was done.

"Have you talked to him since last night?" Azkadellia asked after DG finished explaining. DG shook her head.

"He left after I feel asleep and I haven't seen him at all this morning." She turned to her sister. "I really think I'm screwing this up Az. I mean, why do I really have to know everything about him? Isn't there something to be said about trusting a person?"

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Azkadellia reached across her sister and grabbed a pear out of the bowl. "Me and men really don't seem to mix at the moment." DG looked over and frowned at her sister. Azkadellia waved her hand at her sister.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Mother's called off the coronation until after the wedding. Apparently planning two major events is taxing on her nerves. To be quite honest I think just having two daughters is taxing enough."

"Oh Az, I'm so sorry." DG shook her head. She put her apple on her napkin and placed her arms on the small desk. "You can't even begin to know how sorry I am. Look at me being selfish." Azkadellia held up a hand.

"Don't worry. I'm more than fine with the idea of holding back the coronation. I knew it was too much for mother to take on. A wedding AND a coronation, please! Besides, I still have so much to learn before I can fully take the throne. That is an entire story of its own." She patted her sister's arm. "Now this gives me time to help you out, relieve some of your own stress." DG nodded reluctantly.

"So what are your plans today?" Azkadellia took a small bite out of the small fruit, chewing it carefully.

"I have a meeting with Rebecca about the music in half an hour and then I'm meeting John later to discuss more wedding stuff. After that I'm supposed to have lunch with Raw and Glitch."

"You do too much with those two." Azkadellia noted.

"I can't help it Az, they're my friends." She simply said with a shrug. "They're all I have sometimes." She looked over at her sister and smiled. Azkadellia smiled back.

Azkadellia was at the stable when Cain rode up on his horse that evening. He'd avoided the palace all day, opting to cover all shifts out on the parameter of the palace boundaries. His horse stopped a few feet from a stern looking Azkadellia. Her arms here crossed firmly at her chest, her raven black hair pulled back into a bun. She meant business and Cain was trapped.

"What do you want?" Cain groaned as he slipped off the horse. He handed the reigns to a nearby boy and watched as the horse was led into its own stall. A stall big enough to house an entire family. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"Well trust me; I don't want to deal with you right now." Azkadellia looked him up and down. Cain nodded.

"Good we're in agreement. Now, if you'll excuse me." He started to walk past Azkadellia.

"Are you going to avoid her now?" Azkadellia asked. Cain stopped a foot away from Azkadellia and straightened. "If you are, I think that's a shitty thing to do." She glanced at him but kept her face forward, only moving her eyes. Cain's jaw tightened.

"What business is it of yours?" Cain asked, angered by this meeting. Azkadellia didn't know how to respond, his anger caused her to loose all forms of speech. Cain leaned over, inches away from Azkadellia's face.

"Exactly," He said slowly and smooth. He brought his face away and pushed past her. Azkadellia stood firm for a moment and spun around and glared at him.

"What is it exactly are you after? Why do you want to hurt her?"

"I don't! I just can't get past her asking so many personal questions. It's not like I really want to open up and share everything."

"Then don't. That's your prerogative. Just don't take this out on her. She doesn't deserve it." Azkadellia softened her face. "You knew getting into this that she would be curious about everything." She gave him a knowing look. Cain looked over at her and cocked his head. She nodded. He shook his head. Of course, she had access to private and personal files when she was in power. He pursed his lips. He turned to the stable and yelled out to the stable boy.

"Ready me a horse. I'm leaving in as soon as possible." The young boy nodded and went to work preparing a new horse for the man. Cain ignored Azkadellia and turned around, heading back to the palace.

"Wyatt!" She yelled. She watched him stomp across the grass. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I can think." He yelled back. "Somewhere far away from here." He muttered as he pulled open the wooden door, letting it slam behind him.

Cain was in his room rifling through papers when DG walked into the doorway. She hadn't heard the argument with Azkadellia so she was unprepared for what was about to explode. She watched as Cain threw papers around the room, looking for something very important.

"What's wrong?" DG asked. She watched as Cain jumped slightly, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Have you seen a blue folder around here?" DG shook her head. Cain's face fell as he continued to throw stuff off his desk. "I need it before I leave tonight."

"Leave? Where are you going?" She uncrossed her arms and entered his room. Cain sighed heavily and turned to her.

"I'm going to see Jeb."

"Now?" DG asked. Cain looked over at her, his face giving away the fact that he was obviously annoyed at the moment. "I don't understand. This is so sudden." She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder but he jerked back. "What?" DG said pulling her hand away as if his touch were fire.

"What? What do you mean what? Can't a man go see his son?" Cain went back to the desk and sifted through a stack he knew he'd been through before. "What is the damn problem with that?" He muttered.

"Nothing." DG said, suddenly very worried about Cain. Had he snapped? She chewed on her bottom lip, crossing and uncrossing her arms. Cain looked over at her.

"What?" Cain asked, now incredibly perturbed.

"What's going to happen when we get married?" DG asked softly. She knew this wasn't the right time to bring it up, but she had to know.

"What do you mean?" He sighed, sitting on the edge of his desk.

"I was just meaning that I don't want to be Adora." She held her breath, waiting for Cain's response. He looked normal to her but did seem a little tense at the mention of his dead wife. "I don't want to get upset every time you leave to go on a mission or you leave. I want you in bed in the morning beside me. This can't work if you work in security detail. I was thinking that maybe you can take a break when we get married. You know, become less involved in the workings of the palace just until we get acclimated." Her eyes filled with hope.

"So you want me to change?" Cain asked, suddenly getting a little steamed. DG shook her head quickly. Her face fell.

"No, that's not what I want. I want you to be you. The man I fell in love with."

"So you want me to be at your beck and call while you run the kingdom? I would have no job to support you and would sit idly around doing nothing?" His voice started to rise.

"Now you're just changing everything I'm saying? Why are you being so difficult?" She walked over and tried to put her arms around him in a hug but he pulled away and turned back to the desk. "Wyatt fucking Cain, TALK TO ME!" DG yelled. Cain grabbed a blue folder and turned around to face her.

"What do you want me to say?" His temper was really staring to rise.

"Anything! Just don't ignore me. I won't pry into your life anymore. I won't ask questions. Just don't push me away. I was out of line pushing the whole Nora and Jacob thing. I know that now."

"I don't think you do." Cain turned his back on her. "I don't think you have it in you to keep from prying." He stormed over to the other side of his desk and grabbed his gun and holster. He threw it on and searched around for something else.

"Well then maybe we shouldn't get married." DG yelled at him. Cain spun around and looked DG directly in the eye.

"That's the best idea you've ever had, Princess." He practically spat out the last word. DG looked up at Cain. She'd never seen him this angry before. She watched as he grabbed his coat and the folder. He brushed past her without much of a glance. He slammed the door and made DG jump.

Akadellia watched as Cain stormed down the hallway. Whatever she was going to visit her sister about was clearly not important anymore. She stepped forward, closing in the distance between she and door. Raw placed a hand on the door and looked over at Azkadellia and Glitch, his face not happy.

"A lot of pain. Raw sees DG hurt." Azkadellia pushed past Raw and opened the door.

The three walked slowly into the door. DG's back was to them, but her tiny hands clutched her sides and she hugged herself tightly. She looked down onto the stables, her face clearly upset, but she wasn't crying. Azkadellia slowly walked toward her sister.

"Deeg," her sister whispered. She walked over looked out at what DG was looking at. Cain stomped across the grass towards the stables, looking for his horse. The girls watched as he grabbed the reigns from the stable boy. DG watched in pain as he jumped on his horse, not even bothering to look up at the window. Talk about being a coward. Raw had more courage than Cain did at that moment.

"We've never fought before." DG said sadly. "And now I don't think he's going to come back."

"Well that's not true." Glitch said from DG's side. DG looked over at him, hoping he was right. "He left his hat. He has to come back for that." DG watched as Glitch picked up Cain's hat and sat it on his head. He gave a quick pose, but frowned when he noticed it did not cheer her up like he thought it would. He ran off in such an angry manner that he forgot his hat, the one thing he couldn't be without. DG turned back from to the window. If he could be without his hat, then she was almost certain he could go without her.

_Please, if you are reading this try to leave feedback. Your comments really help me when I write the next chapters. So either good or bad, please leave me some good ole feedback. Thanks!_


	11. Chapter 10

DG spent the next few days in agony. Left with only the hateful words she shared, she could only regret what had been said. She went through the motions of day to day life in the palace but everyone could see something was wrong. That first night after he left Azkadellia tried to pull her away from Cain's room, coaxing her into her own room. DG wouldn't budge and sat on the edge of Cain's bed, holding his hat tightly in her hands. She still couldn't believe he was actually gone. It wasn't like he'd be back at the end of the day and curl up with her in bed that night.

That night she curled up in his big bed and hugged his pillow close to her. Her tear ducts were about as stubborn as she was and refused to cry for her. She just lay there, taking in the scent of Cain, almost as if he was actually there. She hated him and she missed him all at the same time and it threw her into a spiral she was afraid she'd never get out of.

The days all seemed to run into each other to the point that DG didn't even bother keeping track. Eventually she made it out of Cain's room. She watched sadly as her sister closed the door tightly behind them, closing DG off from Cain's world. She even left the hat sitting on his desk. Walking down the hallway towards her room on the other side of the palace DG kept thinking that she was walking away from him. Azkadellia put her arm around DG and DG rested her head on her sister's shoulder. Once Azkadellia had her sister safely in DG's own room, she excused herself and made her way to her mother's room for a meeting with John and her mother.

"You really think it's safe to continue with the plans?" Azkadellia asked. She sat on the edge of her high back chair forgetting all about posture. She looked from her mother to John and then back again. John stood behind Azkadellia's mother with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. He knew what was right but he also was hired by the queen and what she said did matter the most.

"I think it's perfectly safe." The queen placed her hands on her lap and looked over at her daughter. "They are just having a lover's quarrel. You watch, he'll be back here within a few days completely upset about the whole ordeal." Azkadellia laughed.

"Apparently you've never met Wyatt Cain." Azkadellia sighed when her mother gave her a disapproving glance. "Fine, but if DG spontaneously combusts from the amount of stress on her body and heart, I will have no problem pointing fingers." She waggled her finger at her mother.

The trio was interrupted as the door flew open. The queen's nerves were already on edge and the sudden noise made her jump up in her seat, a hand flying to her heart. In a second her husband entered the room, followed by a group of military men.

"Good Gale, what is it?" The queen said as she started to rise. The men all bowed in her presence and she waved them up. "No time for that. What is wrong? Is it Cain?" She looked startled as she glanced over at Azkadellia. Azkadellia started to rise but her father's word caused her to sit back down.

"There have been some uprisings down in the southern lands. Stragglers who supported the witch still think they have control. We're going down there to get the problem fixed." His face was stern as he looked around the room. It softened as he noticed Azkadellia's face. She looked down sadly at her hands. She hadn't thought about it in a while ever since a majority of the problems were fixed.

"It's not your fault sweetheart." He looked back at his wife. "We're leaving now. That is if you give your blessing." He stared intently at her as she nodded.

"Of course I do. Is there anything I can do?" She asked. Her husband nodded quickly and pulled his wife up and into a hug. "You stay safe out there." She whispered. Her husband hugged her tighter.

"I will do my best." He took a step back and turned to Azkadellia. She stood up and gave him a hug. "Where's DG?" He said after they parted. He looked around the room frantically.

"Upstairs, sleeping." Azkadellia said as she pointed a finger up. Her father sighed and shook his head. "I'll tell you said good bye. I know she'll understand."

"Thank you." Ahamo looked around the room one last time, as if he was missing something. He patted his pockets and then shoo his head. "I have to go." He looked up at his wife and frowned. She gave him a supportive smile and her eyes told him to go. He backed away slowly, followed by his men. The queen watched with a heavy heart as her husband walked out of the room. It was at that moment that she knew exactly what DG was going through and it killed her to know her daughter was in that much pain. She looked somberly at her guests in her room and sat slowly back down on her chair.

"Where were we?" She said as everyone tried to regain composure.

"So he just left?" DG said from the large library desk. John and Azkadellia nodded. "Wow." It was all she could say. After a bored morning in her room, DG walked down the hall and into the library. She figured she'd find something to do in there.

"Man you should have been there DG. Father practically stormed and in told mother what he was doing." Azkadellia smiled a large smile and placed her hands on her hips. "He was all assertive and strong just like Cain. I mean I don't think I'd ever seen him that way before. So there's the second man to leave the palace in a week." She sighed. DG took a shaky breath and closed her eyes tightly. John looked at DG's face and took a step in.

"I think it's best if we focus on the wedd-"he stopped and bit his lip. Azkadellia shook her head. She thought she was bad. DG glared over at the two of them.

"Gee guys, you are the best. Really, bring on that support." DG rolled her eyes up and groaned. Where was a falling house when you needed it? She threw her hands on her face and groaned louder into the cupped parts. She pulled her hands back down and shook her head. "I'm fine." She looked from her sister to John. "Really."

"Ooooo kay." Azkadellia smiled, not too sure how to respond. She pointed over her shoulder. "I'm going to go. Do. Something." She nodded and turned around, nearly running out of the room. John kept his eyes on the door for a moment and then slowly turned back to DG.

"I'm sorry about this." He said after a moment. "I know this must be hard on you."

"You have no idea." DG stood and stretched high towards the ceiling. You would think a palace would have comfy chairs. She walked over to a notebook sitting on the edge of the table. "So what else needs to be done for this wedding that needs to be planned but probably won't happen?" She stopped and looked over at John with wide eyes. "Hey, I should have used that for the invites." John shook his head.

"Right, that would have been quite an announcement. But that reminds me, your invitations were sent out a week ago. Right now you have 12 messengers all throughout the kingdom passing out your invitation." He leaned on the edge of the desk, his arms crossed at his sides.

"Wonderful. I'm excited." She smiled a cheesy smile and then sat with a thump onto a nearby ottoman.

"I love how you went from mopey and sad to sarcastic and cynical in a matter of days." John said. DG shrugged as she leaned back, resting on her hands.

"It's a gift." John shook his head and smiled. "Will I be ok?" DG asked seriously. John looked over at her.

"I want to say yes and that the heart is a powerful mechanism that heals itself on its own, but a part of me thinks that something like that can only happen if you want it to. And right now, I don't think you want it to." He frowned. He walked over and knelt beside her. "I'm not saying this because I'm your wedding planner, but as what I hope is as a friend." DG looked down into his dark eyes.

"I think if you and Cain love each other as you say you do, then you'll not only be ok, you'll be married. Cain would be an idiot to let something this stupid prevent him from getting married." He patted her shoulder. DG nodded and

Azkadellia knocked on DG's door as she walked into her sister's room. DG sat on her bed, surrounded by books and drawings of everything from cakes to dresses. DG really did not have the mind frame to handle any of this, but she did it anyway to appease everyone. DG looked up at her sister and tried to smile.

"Maybe you should take a break. You know clear your head a little bit." Azkadellia nodded. DG looked around her at the materials spread out. She still had so much that needed to be done. She looked up at her sister with sad eyes.

"I found my dress." DG said softly. She handed over a sketch of a simple white dress over to her sister. "John just left to give the dress maker my measurements." She watched as her sister scanned the dress with her eyes. Azkadellia looked over the top of the page towards her sister, her eyes rimmed with tears.

"It's perfect." She smiled. DG nodded somberly and closed the book that sat in her lap. She let out a small sigh and took the drawing back from her sister and looked down sadly. Her face filled with sadness and Azkadellia raised her eyes in hope. "He'll be back Deeg. You can't lose hope. You'll see, he'll be back any day now."

"Thanks mother." DG said in a mocking tone. Azkadellia knew she deserved it after she offered her such false hope. Who knew when or even if Cain would return? He was just as stubborn and pigheaded as DG was. DG sat the drawing down and looked back over towards her sister. "What reason do I have for the pleasure of your company?" DG asked. Azkadellia walked over and sat on the edge of the bed after she moved over a stack of books.

"Yeah, about that. Um, mother and I are leaving tomorrow morning." Azkadellia held her breath and waited for DG's reaction.

"So you're leaving me too? First Cain, then dad and now you too? What is wrong with all of you?" She crossed her arms tightly as her mouth gaped open. Azkadellia reached over and pushed her sister's chin up so her mouth closed.

"We'll be back the next evening. We just have to go into Central City for a few things for the wedding. All the messengers are out delivering invitations and mother wants to see how the progress on project "Clean up City" is going." Azkadellia pursed her lips together. "Raw and Glitch will be here for you. It's not like anything is going to happen. Just think of it as a vacation away from the family." Azkadellia shrugged. DG rolled her eyes.

"Nothing will happen, right. How many times has that been said?" She looked over at her sister and tried to smile. "I'm going to miss you. Mother's timing is quite impeccable." DG sighed. Azkadellia grinned from ear to ear.

"That's what she said about you around the time she announced she was expecting." Azkadellia ducked as her sister flung an oversized pillow in her direction.

The sky rumbled in the distance as DG stood outside hugging her mother and sister. Raw and Glitch stood close behind her, carefully watching out for her.

"I really would feel better if you had more guards." Her mother worried. DG smiled.

"I'll be fine. Fort Knox doesn't even have our security mother. Besides, I have Glitch and Raw to look out for me." The queen looked over her daughter's shoulder and watched as Glitch moved his zipper back and forth as he imitated the sound. She glanced back at her daughter.

"Why do I not find that statement comforting?" DG smiled again as she hugged her mother tightly. "Be strong. It will all work out." Her mother whispered in her daughter's ear. DG nodded as her mother pulled away. DG watched as she made her way to the car and then side glanced over towards her sister.

"We'll be back tomorrow afternoon.

"If you see him-" DG started. Azkadellia nodded and brought a finger up to the side of her nose. DG nodded and took a deep breath. Azkadellia turned and headed towards the car. John held the door open for the young woman and helped her safely into the car. He shut the door firmly behind her after he knew she was in. John turned to DG and smiled.

"If there was anyway I could, I would." He told her. DG nodded, fully understanding the situation. "We'll be back soon." She watched as he walked to the opposite side of the car, getting into the passenger side. After a quick wave he ducked into the car just as the rain started to fall. DG looked up towards the clouds and covered her head with her hands. Dreary weather always felt ominous to DG. Now, as she stood by herself in the rain, she felt the true sadness she'd been holding back for so many days. She turned her back to the moving car. She looked up at Raw and Glitch and her eyes started to pour like the skies above her.

_Thank you for all the feedback! Please keep it up!!_


	12. Chapter 11

Wyatt and Jeb Cain rode along the old brick road on horses one afternoon, days after he'd arrived in Central City. Finding the city too loud and busy, Cain asked if they could get away for a few days to see the surrounding lands. Truth be told, he knew the queen and Azkadellia would be arriving within the next day or so and he didn't want to have to run into them. The city had cleaned up and life was beginning to settle back into the shining city on the hill. As they rode out of the city and onto the old brick road, Cain enjoyed the quiet relaxation of having to do nothing but catch up with his son. As he told his son what caused his escape out of the palace Jeb listened intently.

"I did nothing wrong." Cain said as the story came to a close. Jeb rolled his eyes.

"And I'm sure DG is saying the exact same thing to her sister right now. You both are two very stubborn people. It's amazing you've lasted this long." Jeb looked over at his father. "Don't you think you're being a tad bit of a baby about this?" He watched as his father's jaw tightened and his grasp on the reigns tightened as well. He shut his mouth and the two traveled further down the road in silence.

"I miss her." Cain finally let out.

"Well, of course you do. I would think less of you if you didn't. I really have no idea why you even left." Jeb said. His father sighed.

"I just hate this incisive need to know everything about me. I don't know why knowing who I was will have any impact on who I've become." Cain looked over at his son as they rode along the old brick road.

"What could you possibly have to hide? You are a good man with a decent past, what would you have to hide from DG?" Jeb watched as his father stopped his horse, raising his head up to the sky. "What haven't you told me?"

"Are you going to ask me about my past?"

"Are you going to ask me to marry you and then just abandon me when I need you the most?" Jeb asked. Cain glared over at his son and Jeb raised both hands up. "Look, DG and I are practically the same age. I see what she sees. Now you can run from her all you want but at the end of the day, when all you have is your pride to keep you warm and happy, then you may want to suck up the fact that you may or may not have a shitty past. DG doesn't care.

"Even if you say you and mother fought to the point that you stayed away on purpose to avoid her and me. . ." Jeb watched as his father brought his head down. "Well, that explains my childhood in so many ways. No wonder mother was a bad mother." Cain stopped short and pointed a finger at his son.

"Hey, your mother was a great woman and an even better mother. She was lacking on the wife part, but she had everything else down. I don't want you thinking bad things about her." He paused and looked at his son. "I was the one who left for months at a time without a care. I was the one who left you without a father to turn to."

"She never spoke ill against you, you know," Jeb offered. Cain looked over at his son and nodded. "I never once grew up thinking you were a bad father. So don't go around thinking that my childhood would have been magically better had you been around. I turned out ok."

The pair of men approached the old house they both once lived in and stopped. It had been sometime since they had seen it. Cain hadn't been back since he'd been let out of the tin suit. Jeb had been back a few times to check on things, but even he managed to keep his distance. The old place was starting to show is age and neglect and Cain knew the time was approaching when it would have to be torn down. The roof had started to sag inwards; the glass on the windows was cracked and warped.

So many happy memories had been shared in that house: his honeymoon with Adora, carrying her over the threshold, Jeb's first steps. Yet, with every happy memory there were at least 2 sad or angry ones. These memories were why Cain chose to stay away from it for so many years before the capture and why he stayed away from it even now. However, something drew him in and he felt like the house pulled him towards it.

"Something seems off." Cain said; his head cocked to the side. He looked around the property in front of him but he still couldn't seem to put a finger on what was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Jeb asked. He looked at his father cautiously. Cain stared at the house almost as if it wanted to tell something to him. "Did you want to go in? You know, look around?" Jeb started to get off his horse, but Cain stopped him.

"No, we'll keep riding. There's nothing in there anyway. There are only memories that do not need to be awoken." He looked sadly over at his son. "Did you want to go in?" Jeb shook his head slowly. Cain sighed and rode his horse over towards the pier and the water. He passed the tin suit as the sat looking hauntingly back towards his house. He closed his eyes tightly as he passed by. It had been a long time since DG and Glitch saved him from that hell, but he still couldn't shake the pain of the years spent inside that.

He stared out onto the water and remembered his life there. He remembered waking up around the time the sun was about to peak over the horizon and he would stand on the pier looking out onto the water. The water he taught Jeb how to swim in and fish in. He knew there were some things that qualified him for a crappy father but he still had moments there that he looked back on fondly. He heard Jeb's horse slowly approach him from behind and he knew he had to leave.

"Father, why don't I take you back to the palace and you can talk to DG. There's nothing you can figure out here and DG needs you." Jeb stopped beside his father and turned his face towards Cain. Cain nodded reluctantly and looked over his shoulder back towards the house. The hollow shell of what it once was sat quietly in the distance. There really wasn't anything for him to hold onto anymore."

"Fine, but there's a place I want to take you before we go. It's in the big woods near the palace. It shouldn't take too long."

As they approached the small house in the back of the woods could see smoke. The fire had long since burned out but the hot walls still smoldered. The smell of burnt wood was clear as the men approached the home. Cain looked around trying to see if anyone was around.

"JACOB! NORA!" He called out. He rode ahead of his son towards the front door and stopped a few feet from the porch. He jumped off his horse and ran up the stairs. The doors were black, but Cain could still feel heat radiating. The home, the beautiful bed and breakfast he'd promised Jacob he'd come back to was ruined. His promise came too late. He closed his eyes and tried to shake away the bad feelings, maybe they'd escaped. He noticed the charred lock that held the doors tightly in place and he felt his body go numb. They didn't have a chance. He backed away slowly and turned to his son. Jeb looked up at his father with sadness.

"Who would do something like this?" Jeb asked. Cain noticed a piece of paper flapping on the railing. He looked over at Jeb as he walked over to it.

"I can give you one guess." He muttered harshly. Jeb's brow furrowed as he contemplated that.

"But that's impossible. He's locked up. Has been for months. All of the prisoners were. . ." He trailed off as his father picked up the paper. He watched the anger rise in his fathers face as Cain read the paper. Jeb wanted to ride away as his father turned to look at him.

"Or maybe not." Jeb gulped as his father stomped down the porch. Cain reached up and shoved the paper into his son's hands. Jeb looked down at the paper and read the scratchy font.

_Cain,_

_So you think making friends with my parents will help you get over the guilt of locking me away? I hardly think so. I know the one thing that you can't live without and I am determined to kill your life like you killed mine._

_Your 'friend'_

_Zero_

"How far from here is the old resistance camp?" Cain asked as he swung a leg over his horse. Jeb stared at the words and his eyes grew large. It couldn't be him, could it? "JEB!" His father yelled his name and Jeb looked over at his father.

"It's about 10 miles north." Jeb said slowly. Cain started off down the road towards north. Jeb took a deep breath and got his horse in gear as he took off to catch up with his father. 'This cannot end well' the young man thought as he gripped the reign of his horse

The two men raced down the paths towards the woods where Jeb's resistant camp used to sit. It had been deserted once the witch melted, but pieces still remained. Pits where fires once burned scattered the area, while old primitive weapons leaned against trees, no longer having a purpose. As they rode towards the thick brush where the tin suit stood Cain started to pick up on things.

It was the fancy, extravagant invitations that Cain noticed first. Scattered across the path, Cain cursed himself for arguing with DG over something as stupid as a sheet of paper. He stopped his horse and slid off carefully. Jeb rode up right beside him and slipped off his horse as well.

"What is it father?" Jeb asked. Cain held up a hand as he bent down to pick one invitation up. Why would they be scattered around like that? What happened to the messenger? Cain looked around carefully, trying to notice anything that would be of help. As he looked he also listened.

"Father?" Jeb sounded worried. Cain hushed the young man and brought a finger to his own lips. Jeb took a step forward. Both men suddenly heard a sound coming from a thick area of greenery. They looked at each other, worried about what they'd find out there. Cain led his horse over a few fallen trees as he approached a young boy with dark hair.

"Oliver?" Cain bent down to check on the poor boy. "What are you doing all the way out here?" Cain looked around at their surroundings. The tin suit was put back here for a reason. Jeb and Cain had trouble getting back here so how did scrawny little Oliver get back here?

"I got lost." Oliver gulped and looked up at Cain. Oliver used to be scared of Cain, but for good reason. The older man's presence around the palace was comforting to those around as he kept the palace safe. Now the young messenger shook from the presence of another man, an evil one.

"What happened?" Jeb asked taking a step forward. Oliver looked over at Cain's son with fear in his eyes.

"It all happened so quickly. He was in there and then I was on the ground."

Cain stood up and looked behind Oliver. A few feet away from them sat the tin suit. The door was slightly ajar and the smell of sweat and metal poured out into the afternoon air. Cain approached the suit slowly. He pulled open the door and tried to control his own fear as the memoirs of his own imprisonment lingered back into his mind. The inside of the suit was empty, except for the scratches left on the door. The letters D-G were scratched roughly into the hard metal. Cain took a step back slowly; keep his hand on the door.

"Get him on your horse. We have to go now," Cain said as calmly as possible. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the cold metal.

"But sir-"Jeb started. His father turned to him, his face bright with fury.

"Do as I say. NOW!" Cain yelled. With a force his son had never seen before, Cain slammed the door to the heavy suit. The suit rattled and shook from the force. He marched over to the young messenger and picked him up harshly. "You're riding with Jeb." He tossed him over to his son. Jeb helped Oliver onto the horse as best as he could. He tried to hurry as he knew his father was in no way a patient man.

Cain jumped onto his horse, hoping he wasn't too late and cursing himself for being so stupid. If anything happened to DG he didn't know what he'd do. He looked over at his son as Jeb helped the messenger onto the horse behind him. He gripped the reigns and tried to steady his breathing. He didn't know why he was still here or how he'd gotten out. He would deal with that at another time. All he was worried about was her. They had to get to the palace, and fast.

DG stood looking somberly towards the kitchen. How many times had she and Cain snuck down for a late night snack? How many times had those late night snacks turned in late night other things? She closed her eyes and tried to feel him around her but she couldn't. She watched Raw and Glitch devour their meals as she stood with her hands resting on the counter.

DG smiled, the two friends had spent the entire day trying to make DG happy. After the rain let up they walked in the garden and caught up on what had happened through out the months. DG felt bad that she'd cast them aside due to the wedding plans and it was nice to catch up.

"Hey, I know." Glitch said, raising his head. DG looked over at him. "Why don't we play a game? It always seemed to cheer you up before." His eyes sparkled and DG was afraid to say no as it would hurt his feelings. However, she just didn't feel up to anymore games. She just wanted to be alone.

"No thanks, I think I'm just going to call it a night." She placed her napkin on her plate. "Mother and Azkadellia will be back tomorrow, so I should get to bed early. Who knows what they have planned for me." She brought her plate over to the sink and gently placed it in the large basin. Raw frowned and looked over at Glitch. Both turned and stared somberly at their friend. DG stood frozen, staring down into the sink. Her hands rested on the edge of the sink, as she thought about how much she really missed Cain. Maybe she should have held back, she didn't need to know everything about him. A single tear slid down her cheek. She'd been able to hold her tears since her little outburst that morning when her mother and sister left, but now it seemed harder to hold things back.

"DG." Glitch said quietly. DG wiped away the tear and reluctantly turned around. She looked at Glitch. "I'm proud of you." He rested his arms on the counter and shrugged. "I don't think I could walk in your shoes and still have the strength to carry on."

"Raw thinks DG is very brave." DG looked over at Raw and smiled. "Cain does not deserve DG. DG should marry Raw." DG laughed over at her friends. She walked over to the counter and into the arms of her friends. After a few tight hugs DG backed away and kept her smile.

"Thank you so much you guys. I don't know what I'd do without you two." Her two friends simply nodded and watched as she turned around to leave the kitchen.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" Glitch whispered to Raw as DG turned the corner.

"DG will be just fine, Raw is positive." The two looked at each other, both knowing that this wasn't at all a certainty, just a hope.

DG approached her room slowly. She just wanted to run a bubble bath, soak for a few hours and then attempt to make it through the night with a few hours of sleep. It wasn't that hard to imagine. However, as she looked at her door she noticed something odd. Hadn't it been closed all the way before she left? Yes, the maids had a tendency to leave the door open if they had cleaned, but they had stayed away the past few days. They didn't like her too much at times, but they knew when she needed her space. So standing in the hallway she wondered what was going on. She looked back down the hall and didn't see anyone or any sign that anyone had been there. She sighed and kept walking towards the door. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

She pushed open the door and slowly walked in. She cursed herself for not getting her overhead light fixed as she groped around in the dark. She stopped short and sniffed the air. The air smelled odd. It had a metal twinge to it, almost a rusty smell. She sniffed a few more times and then stopped. TIN! She knew that smell. It was the same smell that Cain smelled of after his time in the tin suit. But why would her room suddenly smell of it? She didn't have anything tin in her room. As she tried to make her way to her night table she heard something behind her.

A hand grabbed her from behind, a hand tightly grasped around her mouth. The sharp, biting smell of the metal filled her nostrils and she felt sick from the smell. The attacker forcefully pulled her to him. DG tried to twist and turn, grasping at the intruder, but he was too strong for her. Living in a palace deciding place settings for months on end did nothing for her self defense skills. She brought her foot up and then slammed it down hard on the person's foot. With a grunt the man loosened his grasp for a moment and DG sprang forward, running for the door.

"I don't think so." His voice snarled as he reached out for her arm. DG spun around and in the moonlight she saw her first glance at the man. He sneered at her through the darkness and her eyes grew large.

"It's you." She felt her breath sharply leave her body and she tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp. She kicked her leg out only to hit air and he laughed at her cute try at beating him up.

"That is not a good idea." He said menacingly. DG took a step back, trying to make it though the darkness. She stumbled over a chair and she cursed herself for not putting it away like she told her self too. Her shin now throbbed and she wanted to bend down and rub it but she was too scared to do anything. She could feel a hand grasp her arm and she reached over a punched the air. She tried a second time and finally made contact with his face. She heard him let out a grunt of pain but he didn't even budge.

He threw his hand back and then pulled it forward, hitting DG hard across the head. The force and the unexpectedness threw her back. She hit her head hard on the corner of her bed and she fell to the ground in a slump.

"Well, that was easy." He shrugged. He brushed his hands together then took a few steps forward. He picked up DG and slung her limp body over his shoulder. Now, the question was, how would he get out.

_Please try to leave feedback if you're reading this story. I know a lot of people are reading, so please leave feedback! It means a lot to know what you guys think! _


	13. Chapter 12

He was free. As the cool air hit his dirty face he gasped greedily for as much of the invisible vapor as he could. Living for over a year in that tin suit was almost too much to bear. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to live in one for much longer than that. He shook his head, ridding his brain of all the guilt he would have if he thought about what his actions had done to others. He needed to live in a moment where he did not feel guilt, but pride for his actions that helped the O.Z, or so he thought. Yes, Azkadellia handed down the authority of what should be done to people who resisted her, but he was he that embellished the torture and left his captured prisoners at his mercy, not hers. As he took a small step out of the suit he looked around at his surroundings. Yes, he was still in the woods where that asshole Cain had left him.

'What a chump!' He thought to himself. Leave it to Cain to grow a heart at the wrong possible time; he should have just let his son do what he wanted. Zero looked down at a young man who trembled before him. Oliver's knees banged together as he shook and sweated. He knew who Zero was; his family had been also affected by the wrath of this cruel man. What had he done? Oliver thought back to what exactly happened and the moments flew back in a rapid pace.

He had been delivering initiations to houses that seemed to be well off the path of normal guests. Why would the princess want to invite people that lived so far away from the palace? He didn't argue, it was his job to deliver the invitations. Some how he'd ended up way in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and bushes. He made out what looked to be a camp at one time and knew he must be on the right track. However, as he stumbled across the grass and bush, he noticed something looming ahead. It was a tin suit. He'd heard about these things and how Azkadellia's men had used them to trap their prisoners. According to people around the kingdom, all remaining tin suits had been emptied and destroyed by command of the queen. He looked at this one and thought of how frightening and menacing it looked from the outside. He couldn't even imagine what it was like inside. He knew that Mr. Cain had been locked in one, but no one dared asked him what that ordeal was like.

Oliver could hear tapping in the metal. He had looked over, curious as to why someone was still inside. All prisoners had been released months ago. Poor man, Oliver thought as he walked over towards the tin box and peered into the small glass opening. A pair of hazy eyes met his and Oliver jumped back. He swallowed and reached for a nearby rock. Using it as a hammer, he knocked the two screws up that held the door in place.

The smell that hit him made him want to throw up. A mixture of hot, moist air, mixed with metal and sweat filled his nostrils. He wouldn't ever forget that smell, no matter how hard he tried. Now staring up at the evil presence, Oliver wished he'd never even ventured this far. He watched as Zero approach him and then he saw his heavy hand pull back.

Zero walked over to a piece of paper that sat on the greenery, stepping over the limp body of the messenger. The cream colored stationary was stiff in his hand, the fancy gold script looked important.

"So the mighty Cain snagged the great DG." His upper lip curled in disgust. "We'll see about that."

Zero knew one of the first places to go would be his parent's house. He could stock up on supplies, clean up a bit and then head off to the palace to seek his revenge. Cain didn't know how to get revenge, but Zero certainly did. He walked the 10 miles down to his parent's house and stopped. He made a face at how cutesy and warm it looked. It hardly looked this pleasant when he lived there. He rolled his eyes at the bed and breakfast sign on the porch. Of course.

The house was quiet when he entered, and it smelled of vanilla. Taking the back staircase, he quietly entered his old bedroom, still set up as if he were a boy. He hadn't been in this room since. After he left for the academy he never turned back. He looked around at the plagues and pictures that lined the walls and cursed his past. That smiling boy was most certainly not him. It never had been.

"You're friend Wyatt Cain came by." He heard a voice behind him. He swore under his breath and turned around to see his mother and father. "I knew you'd be back one day." 

"I'm not staying mother." He pushed her out of his way and walked down the hall. In the bathroom he started the bathwater and avoided looking in the mirror. His mother stood in the doorway looking in sadly.

"What did we do to make you hate us?" she asked softly. Zero rolled his eyes and turned to her.

"Why don't you go down and get me something to drink." He looked up at his father. "Both of you." He watched them shuffle down the stairs towards the kitchen.

He worked fast, grabbing a change of clothes. There wouldn't be anytime to shower. He had worked so fast that if he'd been asked later what happened in that house, he wouldn't have remembered. The last thing he fully remembered was placing the lock around the back door and one on the front door. As he heard the cries and screams of his parents, Zero didn't look back. That was one part of his life that would soon be gone and he didn't have any remorse. All they did was hold him back all of the years he was a child. Now, on towards the palace.

Taking DG out of the palace was hardly a task he sweated over. With outbreaks of violence in certain areas of the kingdom, the palace was a ghost town without a sheriff to look out for it. He was easily able to sneak right in the back door without even a second thought. Even getting out wasn't a problem. He'd simply gone in through the service entrance. The palace was dead, all security gone. All he had to do was fling DG over his shoulder after wrapping her in a heavy blanket. It looked as if he was discarding something.

He was worried though after hearing stories that she was a pistol. He thought she'd put up some sort of struggle and actually make him work hard to get her. Hell, he'd been locked in a tin suit for well over a year and he was still able to take her. He laughed at this thought as he traveled down the old roads, with DG bumbling along on his shoulder.

DG opened her eyes and shook her head slowly. The room was hazy and her head felt like it was caving in. She sat up and peered around the room. It was dark and smelled of mildew and dirt. It looked like it hadn't been inhabited in many years. The walls were cracked and sagging. She looked around at what had once been a main bedroom. The owner long gone, apparently in a rush. The previous inhabitant's objects still sat on the shelves and dressers. She knew she'd never been inside, but a part of her knew this place. She rubbed her wrists, looking for some form of restrains, but only a red raw mark remained on either wrist. She moved slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. He wasn't here at the moment, but she knew it would be long before he'd be back. She inched towards the end of the bed and tried to quietly place a foot on the floor. With one foot out of the way, she placed the other down next to it. She stood, placing all her weight on her feet, hoping and praying that it would not make a sound.

She let out a soft sigh as the step remained silent. She took another one, followed by another until she reached the door. Cracked just an inch, the light from the outside filtered in. She inched the door open just enough to slip her small frame through. She took notice of the front door, it being only a few steps away. She tiptoed carefully but stopped when she heard a heavy creak behind her.

"You know why they didn't let me in the academy at first?" He asked. DG froze and felt her heart stop. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt his presence behind her. DG shook her head slowly as turned around. Zero shook his head and laughed. "Apparently, I'm great at following orders, but I have quite a temper problem."

DG took a step back but kept her eyes on Zero. She didn't want to make any sudden motions that may upset him. He looked up at the man as she tried to take another step back, feeling the wall brush along her fingertips. She had nowhere left to go. Her head was throbbing and she could feel a welt growing on the back of her head. Zero took a step closer as DG pressed her entire body up against the wall. She could smell the sweat and metallic smell as he came closer. She felt her skin crawl as his hand reached out and touched her cheek.

"I don't know what you want from me." DG whispered. Zero placed his other hand on her cheek roughly, squeezing her face.

"I think I know exactly what I want, dear princess." His hand slid down and grasped her neck as he spat out the last work. She reached up and pulled at his hand with her left hand, trying to pry his hand away as she choked. Zero stopped suddenly and let go of her neck, allowing her to gasp for air. He grabbed her hand and looked down at the engagement ring. It was the ring he was meant to have. It was his grandmothers, the ring he'd been promised so many years before.

"Where did you get this?" He asked harshly. DG looked up at him as she rubbed her neck. "WHERE?" He yelled.

"What business is that of yours?" DG felt his hand slap across her face in an instant, the breath taken out of her.

"ANSWER ME!" He shouted.

"If you must know, Cain did."

His breathing became labored and his face turned red with fury. So Mr. Wyatt Cain had done it again. He'd taken his woman from him; he'd taken his job, his glory. All Zero had left been a reputation and imprisonment ahead of him. He cracked his knuckles and sneered at DG. 'Fine' he thought to himself. 'I'll just take what means the most to him'.

He yanked DG from the wall, pulling her towards the bedroom again. DG tried to cement her feet on the ground, but Zero was too strong. She tried to pry his fingers off of her arm but he dug them into her skin. She let out a heavy groan as he threw her onto the old bed. A cloud of dust circulated the air and she coughed. She watched as Zero entered the room, loosing his shirt collar as he approached the bed. She swallowed and whimpered a soft cry as he pushed her back onto the bed. Every fiber of her wanted to get up and run, but she was too frightened. She felt him push her back on the bed as he hovered over her.

"You know there is something about you that made my blood boil. I don't know if it was your lack of traditional garment," She felt his hand travel down her body as it stopped right at her pants line. "Or this fire and spunk you have."

"Please don't," DG said taking in a shaky breath. Zero pulled away and smiled.

"What is this? The great DG is actually crying and I'm here to witness it." His eyes gleamed as he lifted her shirt, exposing her navel. Suddenly, Zero looked up as he heard horses approach. He covered her mouth with his hand to quiet her. His weight pressed up against her body, holding her down. DG closed her eyes and felt her skin crawl.

"_Something seems off." _ Her eyes grew wide as she heard his voice just outside the house. She squirmed under Zero, trying desperately to move.

"There not even going to help." Zero whispered into her ear as his spare hands slid down DG's side, back down to the zipper of her pants. She tried to wiggle away as she heard the sick sound of her zipper being lowered.

"_Did you want to go in? You know, look around?" _ DG's eyes lit up at the fact that Cain would be in to rescue her. She only wished he'd hurry as she felt Zero's hand pull down her pants, inch by inch. His rough, dirty hands grazed her skin and she felt sick. She couldn't think of any other way to be violated and tried again to push off of him.

"_No, we'll keep riding. There's nothing in there anyway. There are only memories that do not need to be awoken."_ DG wanted to scream out, to run out the door and into Cain's arms, but she couldn't move. She felt the tears running down her face, burning trails down her cheeks. What a mess she had caused. She listened as the horses rode away, taking her hope with them. He kept his hand on her mouth, tightening the grip. The last thing he needed was for her to scream and for Cain to comeback. He could feel her body shake and her breath quiver from fright as his hand proceeded to beyond the second layer of fabric. He smiled to himself, knowing that what he was doing would surely piss off Cain. He thrived in this power. He knew he could get any girl he wanted, anytime. However, it was this particular person that he wanted the most. DG closed her eyes tightly and clinched her jaw as she felt his hot breath on her cheek.

"Say bye." He whispered. She opened her eyes and watched him lift his head. His body shook as he laughed proudly. She felt him loosen his grip just enough that she was able to get her hand free. She reached out and scratched his face. Four red lines streaked across his face. He let out a sound that shook DG to her very core. Zero pulled his hand back again and hit DG once again across the face, this time causing her nose to drip blood.

"You know what?" He sneered. "You're not even worth it." He picked her limp, tired body up threw her over his shoulder. He wiped away a strip of blood that slowly made its way down his cheek as he carried her over towards a small closet. Built as somewhat of a safe room, the tiny closet was only meant for a couple people and that was if they were standing side by side. As soon as DG figured out what he was about to do with her, she panicked. She started beat on his back and scream. She hadn't been in a small place since the old witch put her in the green coffin. He dropped her into the room with a thud, her head hitting the back of the wall.

"Please, please don't." She cried. Zero only sneered at her as he slammed the door in her face. DG started to bang on the heavy wooden door. She clawed at the wood like a wild animal. "Zero you can't do this." She screamed. She tried to ram her shoulder into the thick wood but she only bounced back against the wall. She let out a harsh groan as she felt her body almost shatter. "Don't do this." She screamed once again as she banged on the door.

From the other side of the door Zero grinned happily as he heard her tiny fingertips claw at the door. DG heard him slide a heavy chest if front of the door for good measure. She slid down the wall, sitting down with her knees tightly drawn to her chest. She was exhausted. She rubbed her head and wiped away a blood trail from the side of her head. The room was even smaller than she imagined and in the dark it seemed to grow smaller and smaller by the minute.

She sat her head back against the wall and swallowed. She was too tired to do anything at the moment. She was too tired to use her magic to open the door but something heavy blocked it. Feeling drained and faint she closed her eyes and hoped that help would arrive in time.

_This chapter was incredibly hard to write. I know there may be errors, I tried to get as many as I could. Let me know what you guys think! I always look forward to your feedback! Also, I have a few short stories if you need something else to read in between my postings! Let me know what you think!_


	14. Chapter 13

Cain stormed into the palace, his heavy footsteps echoed down the hollow halls. Jeb watched from behind as his father threw open doors, jerking his head in and out of the empty rooms.

"DG!" Cain yelled his voiced boomed back to him. As he approached DG's bed room he noticed two armed guards standing on either side of the door. His heart lurched as he made his way into her room. Her objects and possessions were scattered everywhere. The queen sat on a settee, grasping a sweater of DG's. Azkadellia sat next to her mother, trying to comfort the distraught women. She leapt to her feet when she noticed Cain walk in.

"Oh, Cain, you're here." She sighed in relief as she walked over to him. "DG's missing." Her eyes were red and puffy, ready to burst with tears at any moment. "We arrived home earlier this morning. We thought we'd finish early and surprise DG, but when we got here she was missing." She looked over her shoulder towards her mother. The queen raised her heavy eyes to meet the two people in front of her. "

"I have a feeling Zero has her." Cain said in a stern tone. Azkadellia's eyes grew large and she took a step back.

"Where do you think he took her?" She asked. Cain shook his head.

"I don't know. Anywhere." He ran a hand through his hair and walked out onto the balcony overlooking the kingdom.

"Don't worry. We have all of our men out looking of her. We'll find her." Azkadellia said. She stood in the doorway looking out towards him. Her arms were crossed tightly at her chest. Cain kept his eyes out towards the horizon.

"If anything happens . . . I don't think . . . I can't. . . "Cain clinched his jaw, preventing his eyes from crying. "If anything happens to her I can't do anything but blame myself."

"We'll find her Cain." Azkadellia said again as she walked over to Cain, placing hand on his arm.

"And what if we don't? Who knows what he's done—" he stopped and clinched his jaw. He swallowed and Azkadellia watched as his hands turned into fists. "You know things with me and Adora weren't perfect and I knew something was up with her the minute it seemed she stopped missing me. The moment she stopped getting excited when I came home from assignments. It was almost as if she dreaded me being there. I knew my marriage was in trouble yet I continued to push it, to try and to make it work." He turned to Azkadellia. "And it seems that's all I ever did with DG. I pushed something, I pushed the engagement." Azkadellia could see his eyes soften.

"Don't think you pushed her. DG wanted this just as much as you did. If anything, mother and I are guilty for putting so much stress on this whole wedding extravaganza."

"What if we don't find her?" His voice cracked. "What if out last conversation was that of a fight?"

"I have complete faith in that you will find her. We'll . . . you'll, do everything in your power to do so. You have to stop being so negative. If you keep it up-"

"Then what?" Cain turned towards Azkadellia, his eyes red. "Then she's most certainly gone?" His hands gripped the banister, his knuckles turned white. "You know what he's capable of Azkadellia. Hell, you practically trained him to be this way." Azkadellia pulled her hand away; her face looked as if Cain had slapped her. Cain loosened his grip and turned towards her.

"I'm sorry," He began. Azkadellia put a hand up.

"Just find her." She backed away slowly and made her way into the room of her sister. She sat down next to her mother, trying to maintain some composure. Cain stood on the balcony cursing himself. Obviously this wasn't Azkadellia's fault but he still felt like part of who Zero became was partly the workings of Azkadellia, possessed or not. The room inside was silent, everyone on edge. Azkadellia jumped when a guard suddenly entered the room. Cain walked briskly back inside, standing a few feet from the women.

"Your Majesty," A guard said from the door way. The queen turned around and looked towards the guard. "We found an intruder lurking around the grounds." He said slowly. He looked from the queen to Cain. "It's Zero."

The queen raised her eyes towards Cain.

"Your highness," Cain started. "I'd like your permission to view the prisoner." The queen with the violet eyes stood slowly, allowing her daughter to help her up. She took a step towards Cain, resting a hand on his arm.

"I am the queen of the kingdom and I am sworn to uphold all laws. That means giving all who disrupt peace in the kingdom a fair trail." Cain nodded, fully understanding the laws that govern the realm. "However, I have been known to turn a blind eye towards those who do not seem fit to even merit a consideration of fairness." She eyed Cain carefully, making sure he understood. Cain nodded and walked towards the doorway. He walked briskly down the hallway towards the stairs.

Cain ran down the stairs towards the prison, his hands clenching into fists. He didn't know how he would handle the situation, but he knew he'd have to be quick about it. He didn't know how much time DG had. He arrived in the dark, dank dungeon and walked down the corridor towards Zero's cell. The armed guard eyed the man and stepped aside.

"Leave us alone." Cain said. The guard nodded and walked quickly down the corridor and up the stairs. Everyone know Cain could take care of himself, there wasn't a need to be there. Cain stood for a second trying to gain composure and then walked in towards the cell. Zero looked up and sneer spread across his twisted face.

"Well, well, if it isn't the O.Z's knight in shining armor. Wow, they really just give those titles away nowadays, don't they? I remember when we were young men you actually had to work for them. Now. . ." Zero trailed off as he looked Cain up and down.

"Where is she?" Cain asked.

"Here, there, everywhere." Zero said with a shrug. Cain walked over and lifted Zero up off the stool he sat on and pinned him against the wall by his throat. "Yes, that's it. Choke me to death and then I'll tell you where she is." Cain slowly let go and Zero slid down the wall with his back. Cain swung his arm back and slugged Zero across his face.

"Where is she?" Cain asked once more, his voice getting even more tense and angry.

"You'll never find her in time." Zero said simply. His chains rattled as he lifted a hand to wipe away the blood from his now broken nose. Cain pulled his fist back again and hit Zero again, bringing him to the ground with a heavy groan.

"Not the question I asked." Cain said looking down at his once best friend. "Where is DG?" His voice was rising. Zero remained silent, staring up at Cain as if he were really enjoying this. Cain pulled him up by his hair and looked him in the face. "Where the fuck is she?" Zero spit back in his old friend's face. Cain rolled his eyes and landed his knee in Zero's cut. Cain let go of his hair as Zero doubled over.

"I really don't want to kill you." Cain said reluctantly. It was true, he didn't want to kill the man. That would be too simple, too quick. This man needed to feel what his victims felt, something slow and painful. Cain watched as Zero smiled as he propped himself up against the stool. He groaned in pain, but still looked cheerful.

"And I really don't want to tell you where she is." He said simply. Cain closed his eyes tightly and gripped his fists. He opened his eyes and looked over towards his son as he Jeb walked into the door way. He stood there watching his father, the man he'd looked up to all his life. He knew his father was holding back, trying not to become the man that Zero was. He knew it was difficult and he knew he was part of the reason. He met his father's eyes, two spheres filled with so much pain and hurt. With a small nod of acknowledgement, Jeb took a couple steps back out of the cell and into the hallway. Cain took a deep breath and turned back his attention towards Zero.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Cain boomed. Zero spit blood out of the side of his mouth and laughed up at Cain. Cain pulled back his foot and kicked Zero in the stomach. Zero let out a sickening groan. "TELL ME!" Cain yelled.

"You were so close and you left. She heard your voice and you left her." Zero looked up at Cain. He watched as Cain's face filled with thought, the gears twisting and churning. "You should have seen her face. The agony and despair of you leaving her alone, with me was almost too good to be true. Of all of my victims, she was by far the best. I'd say even better than Adora."

Cain's head suddenly sprang up. His house. That's it. He backed away from Zero, nearly tripping over his own feet. How stupid could he have been? As he ran down the hall he could hear the sickening sound of Zero's laughs as they bounced off the walls of his newly appointed cell. Everything around Cain blurred as he raced up the stairs, taking the stairs three at a time. He was going so fast he hardly had time to stop before he plowed into his son.

"Father, what is it?" Jeb asked. He grabbed his father's arms and braced him. Cain shook his head, gasping for breath. Jeb shook his head, trying to read his father's face.

"House." Cain muttered, trying to get a breath. "Our House." He placed his hands on his son's shoulders. He gulped in more air then stood up straight. "He took her there." Jeb nodded instantly as it clicked.

"I'll alert the queen. I'll meet you in the stables." He said with authority. He patted his father on the back. "Don't worry. We'll get to her in time." Jeb waited for his father to nod before running down the hall. Cain watched his son leave, hoping his son was right.

"DG!" Cain screamed after he kicked down the door. The house was empty and quiet. He ran through the house frantically scrambling to find her. The house smelled old and looked like it would fall down any moment. As he searched the rooms he tried not to worry about the memories that surrounded him. He kept his focus on finding DG.

He entered his bed room that he had shared with Adora and looked around. The tiny room was exactly as he remembered it except for the fact that the bed linens were messed up. Like someone had tossed and turned on them. He looked on the ground and saw something glimmer in the light of the setting sun. He walked over and picked up a tiny ring, the same ring he'd given to DG. Realization hit him like train and he let out a sound he didn't know existed. It was like a cry mixed with a sob and it scared him that it came out of himself. He couldn't even fathom what went on in here, and he pushed away any thoughts until he found her. He stood up and placed the ring in his pocket, carefully tucked away. He heard his son approach the bedroom.

"What? Did you find her?" Jeb asked. Jeb also noticed the disheveled room. He had worked enough cases like these through his training as a tin man to know what may have gone on. He looked down at his feet, unable to find the words to comfort his father.

"She's not here!" Azkadellia said breathlessly as the two men re-entered the room. She noticed Cain's face and immediately froze. "What happened?" She asked. Her hand flew to her heart. "Did you find her?"

"She's not here." Cain said sternly. How could he have been wrong? This is the only place he could have thought of. He looked around the house, unable to give up fully.

"Is there any other place she could be? Do you have a trap door under the floor boards? Or do you have a secret place?" Azkadellia asked. She knew all about people building secret rooms to hide from her men throughout her rampage. Cain's old house could easily have something like that. Cain shook his head, he was certain he'd never installed something like that.

"Wait?" Jeb said with a sudden realization. Everyone looked over at him. "Come to think of it, mother had something put in shortly before the longcoats came." He looked over at his father. "Mother was worried that something would happen and you wouldn't be around." He sadly looked down at his feet at the mention of the departed mother.

Everyone looked around the room for the spot, looking for a hidden door. Cain noticed a heavy chest pushed up against the wall. Again, something obviously was out of place. The thing was always too heavy to move, so it sat near the door. Now that it was on the other side of the room he knew something was wrong. He noticed the outline of a door behind the chest and his heart sank. He knew of DG's fear of small places and couldn't imagine her lasting in something that small. He pushed the heavy chest out of the way, a sickening scratching down filled the air as it scrapped along the wooden floors. Cain's fingers searched the wall for a way to open the door and found a hidden handle. He looked over at Jeb before pulling the door open. He took a deep breath and the door opened with a creak. Cain felt a lump rise in his throat as he looked down at the woman he loved.

Bruised and battered, DG was slumped in the corner against the wall. Her color was very pale and for a moment Cain honestly thought he'd been too late. Her tiny hands were balled up into tiny fists, ready to attack if need be. His entire body tensed as he noticed her jeans were undone and halfway off of her.

Cain bent down, reaching his hand out to stroke DG's face. She looked so peaceful through all the pain. As he brushed her hair out of her eyes they flew open. Blocked by the harsh light of the setting sun, DG could only make out the outline of a tall man. Fearing Zero was back she began to panic. She screamed and swatted Cain's hands away. Using whatever strength she could manage she tried to push her self up and against the wall.

"DG, shhhh, it's me." Cain said softly. He reached for her arm and she yanked it away, banging it into the wall. "It's me, Wyatt." As DG's eyes adjusted to the light she relaxed a tiny bit, just enough to fall into Cain's welcoming arms. Her body felt tense and ridged as Cain reached down and pulled her towards him. DG grabbed him by his shirt and pulled her towards him, relieved to see him. She threw her arms around the back of his neck and cried gently into his shoulder.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here." He scooped her up into his arms and carefully lifted her up. He carefully cradled her head with his hand. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out as slowly as possible. He felt DG's hands tighten around his shirt, hanging on for everything she was worth. "I'm here. I'm not going to leave you ever again." He held her tight and carried her across his old house towards the door.

_Thank you guys for all the feed back. Please keep it up! _


	15. Chapter 14

Cain watched in agony as DG slipped in and out of consciousness. He held her close the entire way back to the palace. Even when the doctors met them at the door, Cain clung to her closely, not letting her out of his arms. He carried her towards her room, where a team of more doctors awaited them.

"Mr.Cain, you have to let go." A younger doctor said. He tried to loosen the grip on Cain's firm hands. "We have to run some tests but we can't do it if you don't let us have her." He locked his firm eyes with Cain's. Neither man was willing to budge. "You have to let her go if you want us to help her, Mr. Cain." He reached over and gently tugged DG away from Cain. Reluctantly Cain let go. He cringed as he heard the sharp moan of DG as he passed her on to someone else. He wanted to pull her back and run away with her, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do that the doctors before him could. The door shut in front of him with a firm click. Now all he could do was wait. The Mystic Man's words echoed through his head:

'You will not leave her side at ANY cost'. What cost had he paid by leaving her? How much did his own personal life mean to him? He took a step back, feeling Azkadellia's hand on his shoulder. He stood there in the cold marble hallway feeling utterly powerless. He'd been a Tin Man, trained to deal with all sorts of problems. He'd helped save the O.Z and he'd been head of the entire security detail within the palace. To outsiders looking in, he was practically a super hero. But now, he couldn't do anything but wait. He heard the steady pace of heavy boots on the floor as his son approached them.

"I thought you said you'd found all the tin suits." Cain said turning to his son, a sharp bite to his tone.

"Well, maybe we missed one or two." Jeb said nonchalantly. Cain's face turned bright red and he lunged for his son.

"You missed one or two!" He gripped his son by the shoulders and shook him hard. Jeb's head bobbed violently back and forth. "YOU MISSED ONE OR TWO!" He yelled. Azkadellia was over in a second.

"You need to calm down." Azkadellia spoke forcefully as she tried to pull the two men apart. Cain kept his grip on his son and shook him again.

"This could have been avoided!" He removed a hand and pointed back towards DG's room. "This could have been avoided." He pulled his son into his arms and sobbed. Jeb stood there, frozen. He'd never seen his father like this. This was not his father. Wyatt Cain had hardly ever cried in his entire life.

Jeb looked over his father's shoulder at Azkadellia. She had her hand up to her mouth, trying to cover the worry and surprise. She knew she'd have to worry about DG, but she wasn't prepared to have to worry about Cain too. She watched as the son consoled the father and knew that no one would escape the wrath of Zero this time. She backed away slowly from the two men and walked briskly down the hall towards the prison. There was someone she had to talk to.

"Well if it isn't my little Azkadellia." He laughed through the bars once he saw her approach. She couldn't help but smile inside; Cain really did a number on the man. She was surprised he was even still breathing. "What do I owe the special appearance?"

"Do you know how much trouble you're in?" She said crossing her arms tightly. Zero reached his hand through the bars. A guard walked over but Azkadellia stopped him.

"He's fine." She said. She looked back at Zero. "A twisted little fucker, but he's fine." She mumbled. She listened to him cackle and rolled her dark eyes.

"I'm invincible." He said strongly. "Wyatt the great can beat me all he wants to."

"You threatened and nearly killed a member of the royal family. A member of my family. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you myself." She stared him down. She looked down as his finger brushed against her skin.

"Because you'd miss me too much." He whispered. "I know it was you who gave the orders to destroy all tin suits but one. You just couldn't bear to get rid of me." He smiled through his blood stained face. "And look what happened, I nearly killed your sister." With that, Azkadellia jerked away from him.

"You're dead in the morning. No trial or justice for you." She turned to leave, walking towards the door. His voice made her stop.

"If I'm going to be dead for what I've done, then you surely should be too." Azkadellia spun around and took a few steps towards Zero, her finger jabbing in his face.

"There is nothing that I did that I don't regret every day of my life. That's the difference between you and me. I regret it all, you lavish in the destruction you caused. You practically keep count of all the victims you've taken care of." She watched his steady glance on her. "Do not even think of putting us together in the same group." With that she turned around, practically running to the door.

"We're all done here." She said to the waiting guard. The guard gave her a quick nod and led her out of the prison.

She walked back down the hall, her body chilled to the bone. She couldn't believe, possessed or not, that she ever had anything to do with him. However, something still pulled her back to him and it scared her to death to feel it again. She walked back towards DG's room, entering inside quietly.

"Where have you been?" Cain whispered from a chair. Azkadellia jumped and spun around. Cain sat in the back of the room in a chair.

"What are you doing lurking in the shadows?" She asked her hand at her heart. She followed Cain's glance towards DG's bed. She knew he was keeping his distance until the doctors had their final words. She frowned and looked back at him. "I had to go see someone." She whispered. She motioned towards the balcony with her head. Cain nodded and stood, his entire body exhausted. He hadn't had any sleep in days and it was starting to catch up with him.

"You know, you should try to get some sleep." Azkadellia said as Cain walked out onto the balcony. He waved her comment away with his hand and shook his head. She nodded and turned back towards the land.

"How's Zero?" Cain asked. He watched as her hands gripped the banister. He reached over and put a hand on hers, trying to relax her grip. She looked over at him, tears in her eyes.

"He's done so many bad things. He nearly took DG from me, and yet I can't seem to find the anger in me to be angry at him. It's sick and I hate myself." She turned back towards the setting sun and wiped away a stray tear.

"I know." Azadellia turned her head towards Cain, her face filled with confusion. "Zero was my best friend growing up and despite all the shitty things he's done, I can't fully let go of that. But Az," He turned towards DG's room. "That can't be forgotten. He's done something that cannot be forgiven and he has to pay. Think of DG." Azkadellia nodded.

"What will happen to him?" She asked. Cain shook his head.

"That's up to you and your mother. My suggestion would be something quick, preferably painful, but the sooner the better. Who knows what he's capable of doing." He paused and thought for a moment.

"So the doctor said he didn't rape her." Cain said. Azkadellia looked over at Cain relieved. Cain nodded. "Still doesn't mean he didn't try. Sometimes that's even worse." His jaw muscles tensed. He turned to Azkadellia. "She's still in pretty bad shape. He did quite a number on her." Both were silent as they contemplated this horror. A soft padding sound broke each from their thoughts. They turned towards the doorway.

Cain looked at her as she stood in the doorway. She kept her sad eyes on both of them but didn't say a single word. Her entire body seemed to be about ready to fall back had she not been supported by the doorframe. She looked at Azkadellia and managed to stand a little taller. Her eyes fluttered a bit as she started to fall back. Cain rushed over and attempted to help her up. He could feel her entire body tense and she tugged slightly away from him

"Stop." She said softly. Cain's hand felt like fire on her arm and she pulled it away. "Just stop." Cain looked at her like she just slapped him. He removed his hand but stood there. Azkadellia saw the pain in her sister's face and quickly walked over.

"Cain, why don't you go get mother and tell her DG is awake." Azkadellia said softly. She walked over and put her arm around her sister, her eyes pleading with Cain's to leave. Cain just stood there, unable to move. He knew she'd be affected by this, but he didn't know the degree. Not to mention last time he left her, this happened. He couldn't bear to leave her again. "Please Cain." Azkadellia said more firmly. She watched him leave the room but saw him stop just outside. She sighed, that would have to do. She looked at DG.

"Deeg, are you ok?" Azkadellia said. She led her sister to the bed, sitting on the tosseled covers. DG looked over at Azkadellia and wrapped her arms firmly around her body. She nodded slowly. Azkadellia gave her sister a look and shook her head. "Really, you can talk to me." DG sat beside her sister on the bed, looking down into her lap. "If you don't want to talk I'll unders—"

"It was awful Az. He was awful. And all I want is to be with Cain and I can't even have him touch me." She looked over at Azkadellia her eyes brimming with tears. "Oh AZ, what is wrong with me?" Azkadellia pulled DG over and let her cry into her shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with you DG. You did nothing wrong." She patted her sister's back gently and rocked her. "Don't ever think you did this to yourself." DG pulled away slightly.

"But he looks so sad and he wants to help so badly and I won't let me." She paused. "I can't even

"He's not going anywhere DG. He'll be there for you when you're ready." Azkadellia looked firmly into her sister's eyes. "He'll be there."

"But he left before. What makes you think he won't do it again?" Azkadellia cringed for Cain as she looked over at the doorway. She knew he'd heard that, how could he not have? She took a deep breath, trying to come up with some sort of retort, but she couldn't. She heard his heavy footsteps walk away from the room, each step harder and heavier than the last. She looked at DG.

"Because I know Cain. You know Wyatt. He made a mistake. Don't worry. You just try to get better. Right now, that's all that matters." DG put her head on her sister's shoulder.

"I love him so much Az." She whispered.

"I know you do." Azkadellia rubbed her sister's arm. "I know."

That night Cain kept his distance. He watched as her parents entered and exited the room while he stood silently at the door. They gave him looks of encouragement, looks that told him to be strong. He couldn't help that this was partly his fault, he should have been there to look out for her and now he didn't think she'd ever be the same.

"We're going to FinAqua as soon as she gets her strength up." The queen said as she stopped in front of Cain. She looked over her shoulder at her daughter and frowned. "That is, if she ever gets her strength back."

"You majesty," Cain started. The queen looked back at Cain with weak, tired eyes. "I fear that this was my fault and I want to apologize." The queen shook her head vigorously and placed a smooth hand on Cain's arm.

"This is no one's fault, so don't blame yourself. If you blame yourself, then I'll have to blame myself and Azkadellia will start blaming herself, and no one will ever let this go. For DG's sake we have to let this go. Zero will be taken care of and everyone will move on." She squeezed his arm tightly. "She's alright now." She looked over her shoulder towards DG's room. "Go take of her." She said somberly. Cain waited until the couple had turned off the hall before he entered her room.

The windows were closed tightly, the curtains drawn. A small candle flickered on her night stand, sending wisps of light across her worn face. He watched her sleep as he stood at the foot of her bed. Her body was curled up tightly, her tiny fists balled up near her face ready to attack if need be. Her swollen face was bunched up in pain. Cain wasn't sure if it was actual physical pain or emotional pain as she slept. He walked quietly over to the side of the bed, gently taking a knee to come down to her level. Cain carefully brushed her hair away from her eyes. He cringed on her behalf as he accidentally brushed her bruised skin. However, DG did not budge. The sleeping pills she'd been given had done their job of making sure the young princess made it through a night without waking up in a cold sweat.

Cain took one of her hands in his own and softly spread out her fingers. He looked at her tiny fingers and held back his own tears for her. Her nails were shredded and the skin on the tips of her fingers was red and scratched, traces of blood still shown. He knew this was from where she'd tried to claw at the door and he knew the agony she'd been through. His had been a tin prison, hers had been wooden. He gently kissed the tips of her fingers, hoping in some way it would heal her.

"I'm so sorry DG." He whispered. He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, being careful not to hurt her anymore than she had been.

"Please come back to me." He closed his eyes tightly, as if he were wishing away her pain. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He pulled away and stood up. He pulled over a chair. He'd left her before, but now he wouldn't ever leave her again. He sat in the chair, keeping only a few feet between the two of them. If anything was going to happen to her again, he'd be there to stop it from happening.

_Thank you for reading this chapter. I'll have another one up soon. Please don't forget to leave feedback!! I thoroughly enjoy it! ___


	16. Chapter 15

And if I stand here silent  
I almost start to feel you fading in  
Telling me hold on  
'cause it's gonna be alright

DG quickly sprang up in bed as shots rang across the morning light. She gasped for air and clung to her heart, fearing it would beat out of her chest. Her clothes fit oddly around her body. What pieces didn't cling to her sweating body sagged in places where she'd lost a considerable amount of weight. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and slowly leaned back against a propped up pillow.

It was over. She heard the crowd outside her window cheer as Zero's body was pulled off the execution platform. It didn't take long for the people of the O.Z to find out what happened to the young princess. As much as it killed the queen, she wanted to do things as civil and as fair as possible. However, the people began to cry out in anger that something had to be done. Fearing that the people would revolt, she met with her advisors and diplomatic team. It was settled that a prison was no place for someone like Zero. There were ways for him to escape and as crafty as he was, they would take no chances.

Finally, on a cold, drizzly day, the queen stood before her people. The crowd cheered when she announced that Zero would be executed for the heinous crimes he committed, from killing his parents, to harming a member of the royal family. The only mercy handed to Zero was the fact that it would be quick and painless.

DG ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to get rid of the chill that crawled on her body. He was gone; he'd never harm anyone again. She closed her eyes but could still feel his hands on her body, his breath on her face. Yes, he was gone, but months after he'd completely torn her apart, she was still afraid to be alone. She looked around her bedroom and sighed. She felt like a weight had been lifted, that by killing Zero gave her the ability to breathe again. She knew there would be spells when memories would seem too real to fathom, but moving on and trying to recover seemed like the best remedy.

She pushed the heavy quilts from her lap and swung her body around to the side of the bed. Her feet dangled off the high bed and she squirmed around, trying to find a slipper. She noticed a pile of Cain's clothing sitting on the window seat and she wondered how long he'd be there. How long had he'd be watching over her? Had he gotten any sleep at all? She wrapped her arms around her body as she shuffled into the bathroom, desperately needing a warm shower. She started the water and sat on a chair, letting the steam quickly rise in the room.

She wondered how much she'd missed in the past months as she slept in her own cocoon of a bed. What days had passed? What seasons had changed? She hated him for taking away so many months that she could never get back. She slipped off her loose garments, letting them pile up around her on the floor. DG pulled back the curtain of the shower and stepped in, careful not to slip.

She grabbed a sponge and dug it into her skin, trying to scrub away whatever trace of him was left on her skin. As the sponge turned her skin red and raw, she kept rubbing. Her face filled with anger and hate. She hated him not only for what he did to her but what he took from her. He took her spirit and her happiness and she feared that she would never get it back. As she scrubbed harder her eyes filled with tears and her hand slipped, knocking over the glass canisters that held the soap and oils. She let out a large sob and she slid down the wall.

Cain ran back to DG's room. He didn't want to leave her alone. Of all days, this was a day he needed to be with her. Unfortunately, given his status and place within the security of the palace, it was his job to be there. He stood beside the Azkadellia and felt her jump when the command was given. He watched her close her eyes tightly as Zero's body made a sickening thud on the wooden platform. He made sure she was ok and that his duty was done before taking off back towards the palace.

He looked around the room frantically. He expected to find DG still in her bed, but when he pulled back the covers she wasn't there. He looked under the bed and in the wardrobe, trying to see if maybe she'd packed a bag. Everything was in place, just as it should have been. He turned to the window just as he heard the water in the bathroom. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and started to sit in a nearby chair. He had hardly rested his worn body when he heard a crash in the bathroom. In a second he was on his feet and running towards the bathroom.

He pushed open the door and squinted through the steam, trying to find DG. He walked carefully over to the shower and pulled back the curtain. She looked up at him meekly and his heart fell. The broken canister's surrounded her but it didn't seem like anything cut her. He reached over and turned off the water, allowing a few brave drops to make their final decent and then the room was quiet. He grabbed a fluffy towel from a stack beside him and bent down to his knees. DG looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

"DG. . ."Cain said softly. He watched her face pinch up in pain and then finally fall, letting huge tears fall down her tears. Cain opened his arms and pulled her towards him, allowing her to fall into his arms. The whole scene was reminiscent of that day back in his old house so many months ago. He wrapped her up carefully and let her cry, allowing her to get her pain out, but relieved she was finally allowing him to hold her.

That night DG allowed Cain to sleep in her bed with her. Both lay on opposite sides of the bed, unable to move. However, as the night progressed the space between the two grew closer. It was as if a magnet pulled one to the other, regardless of the pain coursing through their bodies. DG felt Cain's warm body up against hers and she slowly allowed herself the chance to lean back into him. It had been months since she'd even looked at him, let alone allowed him to touch her.

Cain was cautious at first. He felt like he was jumping out of his skin, wanting to pull her close and never let go. However, he knew that slow was the best measure. As he felt her relax under his touch, he began to feel more comfortable. His hands moved over her body, trying to wipe away all the bruises, all the cuts, all the pain. He felt her body loosen and give as he began to wrap his arms safely around her, pulling her in towards him.

As she felt his arms wrap around her she melted back. It was as if the one thing that she was scared of was the one thing that completely saved her. His hands covered hers as she allowed him to weave her fingers in with his. His lips on her neck gave her the type of chills she needed, the kind she'd been missing. She turned over in his arms, locking her eyes with his.

"Let's get married." DG said softly. She waited for Cain to say something, but when he didn't she continued. "We're going to Finaqua tomorrow. We'll have something small. Just a few people. We can put this entire mess behind us and finally move on." She looked at him with optimistic hope. Cain looked at her carefully.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Cain shook his head slowly. "You've been through so much."

"Cain, the only thing to do is to move on and the only way to do that is to be with you. I can't be with you if don't let me."

"Why won't you let me tell you that I'm ready?" She sat up in bed. "Everybody wants me to get better. They want me to put this behind me and move on." Her face pinched up in confusion. "When I do start to move on, people say that I'm moving too fast and I'm going to get hurt. That I just need more time. It's confusing and I don't know what to think.

"I want people to stop looking at me like I'm going to fall apart at any moment. I want you to look at me like it wasn't your fault. I want to be able to have you hold me in your arms and marry me. So," She opened her arms out. "Here I am ready to move on and there you are trying to push me back." She looked at him hoping he'd understand. She watched him staring back at her and hoped and prayed he wouldn't pull away. Cain let out a deep sigh.

"If this is what you want, then I want it to. I just have to make sure you are ready."

"I am." DG said. She reached over and slid her hand on his, weaving her fingers with his. Cain took his spare hand and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face. She leaned her face in towards his hand, allowing him to brush a finger on her cheek.

"You know, Glitch wants be flower girl. It would be a shame to disappoint him." Cain said seriously. Although it hurt to do at first, DG grinned from ear to ear, feeling like someone had pulled the pain away and replaced it with light.

It was warm and sunny as the sparse wedding guests turned to face Azkadellia as she walked slowly down the aisle. Her simple sun dress blew in the breeze. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, with a simple daisy behind her ear. Fresh picked daisies, gathered from a nearby field, filled her hands. She smiled at the few guests that stood around the lake that sparkled in the afternoon sun. She looked up at Cain and winked as she passed by him. He let a small grin escape and Jeb laughed. As his best man, Jeb calmed his father's nerves before the ceremony began. Jeb thought no one could make his father happier than DG and although the age still seemed a bit odd, he still thought they were made for each other. As a lone flute player began the bridal theme, the guests turned and smiled.

"Wow." Glitch sighed as DG walked down the aisle. The simple white dress certainly wasn't the type of dress a royal princess wore, but it was certainly something DG would wear. The white dress hung from her shoulders by two straps and continued downward, stopping a little below her knee. With her hair pulled back in a simple knot, her shoulders were bare in the afternoon sun. Without a hint of lace or a strap of silk, the beauty from the bride was the main focus. With her body nearly healed, few people could even tell what DG had been through. She walked beside her father, her arm linking with his. She made it to the end of the aisle she took a deep breath.

"Are you ok?" Ahamo asked quietly. DG nodded quickly and smiled at her father. Ahamo patted his daughter's arm as he kissed her cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear. She knew he had the final word when convincing her mother to let the wedding happen. The queen was a stubborn woman, but she was always guided by her husband's words. Reluctantly he allowed Cain to offer his arm towards DG. Throughout the last months, Cain had shown DG's parents what kind of husband he could be. Never leaving her side, never giving up, Cain proved to them that he would never let them down.

DG took Cain's arm as he offered her it. She smiled over at him and felt a rush of joy and hope. Hope that one day, regardless of what pain she may still have inside, she would one day be herself again. On this beautiful, sunny day she was surrounded by people who loved her and protected her and she knew that this journey was far from over.


	17. Epilogue

DG brushed her hands on her pants as she wobbled to her feet. Using a freshly packed box for support, she grunted and strained as she pushed herself up. She sighed and looked around at the boxes that still needed to be gone through and packed. It didn't seem like she'd been in the palace for that long, so how could she have accumulated so much junk. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and made a face. She pulled out a hair tie and pulled her dark hair back out of her eyes.

"Do you need anything Mrs. Cain?" A timid voice asked. DG looked over at Oliver and smiled. She shook her head slowly.

"I think I'm good here. You may leave if you have other matters to get to." Oliver bowed his head and backed out of the room quietly. He had been with the princess the entire day, helping her with the boxes and packing. It was time for him to leave to see his family. DG watched the loyal servant leave, sad that she'd have to say good bye to this all soon.

Cane had resigned his post as head guard shortly after the honeymoon. He couldn't see himself doing the same thing he'd been doing. He was getting older, his senses weren't as sharp as they once were/ He wanted to focus on a family, something he had avoided in the past. He was offered a spot as an instructor at the academy he graduated from. The headmaster also graduated in the same class as Cain and it was quite an honor to be asked by a close friend.

DG was with him in a second. She convinced her parents to allow her to be relieved of her princess duties in exchange for title of an ambassador. Living in Central City allowed her to be close to the people, allowing her the ability to walk and talk with the citizens of the O.Z. She'd had enough of stuff palace life and wanted to see more of the land.

Cain watched her from the doorway as she packed. It was hard to believe that over a year ago he stood in this room watching her unpack from her whirlwind trip. Now she was packing to leave in order to start a new life with him. He watched the way she moved around the room, carefully counting and calculating what she'd packed, what needed to be packed and what had to be left behind. She stopped short and closed her eyes tightly.

"Alright baby, you have to let mommy work." DG rested a hand on her swollen belly and rubbed it gently. She placed her other hand on her back, supporting the added weight.

"She is going to be just like her mother." Cain said firmly. DG opened her eyes and turned around. She offered a hand out to him. He gripped her hand tightly and took a few steps forward, wrapping an arm around her back.

"Just think, you'll give birth soon and then you will be off on your next adventure and journey." Cain gave a firm nod. DG shook her head vigorously and laughed.

"Oh no, no more adventures for me. I gladly hand that authority over to anyone willing to take that. I plan on moving into the city, having our daughter and living a simple, quiet life." She nodded firmly.

"We'll let her be the judge of that." Cain pointed to the baby inside of DG. She smiled and brought his hands towards her stomach, allowing him to feel the kicking of the little girl inside her. He looked at DG and watched her carefully. He'd always heard of women glowing during pregnancy, but he'd never seen it up close. He wasn't around much when Adora had been pregnant with Jeb, but he was certain she didn't glow.

Looking at DG, however, he could see her glowing. She glowed from the moment she woke up in the morning until her head hit the pillow at night. She was ecstatic about having a baby and it showed in everything she did. Cain raised a hand and brushed a dark strand of hair out of DG's eyes. A few curls had escaped the confines of DG's pony tail and even though her face looked worn and tired, she still looked beautiful to him.

It had been a trying battle for the both of them. Even after the wedding, DG still woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath and screaming out. Cain was always there for her, ready to calm whatever feared her most. Now, months after everything, DG was finally returning to a somewhat normal state. The color had started to return to her skin and her eyes weren't as dim as they had once been.

"You need to stop looking at me like that." DG said as she noticed his concentration on her. "People will talk." She said, giving him a knowing glance.

"What? We're already married." He said in defense. He pointed to her stomach. "You're pregnant. I think people know we do _**it**_." He said softly. DG smiled.

"Not that." She shook her head, her hair whipping back and forth. "They will start to talk about how you've gone soft." She gave him a stern look. "What would people back at the academy say when they find out that Wyatt Cain is a big old softy?" She rolled her eyes up as she turned to walk towards another box. She laughed as she felt him tackle her from behind.

"I'm sorry; did you say I was turning soft?" He

"I love you." He said. "I mean, really love you." He looked down at her and she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

"I know. I love you too." Cain leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Why don't you take a break? Dinner will be done in a few minutes. You need to get away from boxes and bubble wrap and be with normal people." He took a step back and looked her up and down. "You look tired." DG yawned and nodded.

"I just have a few boxes left, and then I'll be down." Cain eyed her carefully. "We leave tomorrow; I kind of don't want to rush this. I want to take my time and say goodbye properly." Cain looked down and nodded.

"Just don't be long. I don't want your mother worried and if she worries she'll send Glitch." He shook his head. "And Glitch does not need to be around anything remotely similar to bubble wrap." DG laughed. He squeezed DG's hands before letting go. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, placing a hand on her stomach. DG kissed him back and placed her hand on his.

"I won't be too much longer." She assured him. Cain pulled back and nodded. He walked slowly towards the door, looking over his shoulder. DG gave him a little wink before turning back towards her packing. Cain shook his head and turned out of the room, his boots leaving heavy imprints on the marble floor.

DG looked at the last few boxes in a pile next to the window. She dragged a chair over and sat down in a huff. She went through the first couple boxes, only discovering books she no longer had any interest in reading, photos of day long since past and nothing that no longer fit her. She tossed the unwanted items into a discard pile next to her. She looked down at the last box, wanting to just throw it away without even opening.

She sighed and reached down with her pudgy little hands, pulling the light box into her lap. She closed her eyes and hoped for something a little interesting. She opened her eyes and lifted the flaps carefully. Inside was something she hadn't quite expected. Packed away the day after the witch was defeated, DG forgot all about her clothes she wore as she traveled across the various lands of the O.Z. In all the hustle and bustle of the family reunion, she hadn't given it much thought as to what happened to her discarded wardrobe. She lifted out the dark blue pants and light blue top. The clothing looked as if she had just taken them off.

She had to laugh at the humor. She'd seen so much and had been through so much, yet these clothes hadn't aged one day. She ran a hand over the soft material of her leather jacket as she thought back to those events that happened so long ago it seemed. DG thought about what should be done with the items. Obviously, they were too small to fit into now, even if she were to lose all the baby weight. But she couldn't just get rid of the items. The feelings coursing through her body right now were hard to ignore. It was as if those items of clothing were a part of her. She brought the jacket to her nose and it smelled of the old DG. The DG that knew no pain, had no fear, and had been so wide eyed with optimism and hope.

She carefully folded up each item of clothing and placed them back into the darkness of the box. She tapped a finger on the box just as she felt a kick from within. She squirmed a little and shook her head.

"You really have to stop that." She let out a reach and stopped. That's what she would do. She would pack it all away and bring it out when her daughter was ready to hear. She would tell her all about what happened with her adventures and hopefully she would embrace the clothing the same way her mother embraced life in the O.Z.

"One day my little Claire, you will come to know what happened to your parents in this wonderful world. My journey may be over, but yours is just beginning."

_**This is the final chapter. Thank you for everyone who read the story and enjoyed it! I loved all the feedback! I am writing a sequel. It will be called "Royal Expectations" and will be about Azkadellia's rise to the throne as told to DG/Cain's daughter. Please keep an eye out! **_


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